182 Dungeon PDF

ISSUE 182 | September 2010
A D ungeons & D rag ons ® Roleplaying Ga me Supplement

Co n t e n t s
4 The Dungeon of 41 Chaos Scar: Vanguard Tower 66 Eye on the Realms: Dr acohar
the Ghost Tower By Rob Wieland By Ed Greenwood
By Robert J. Schwalb A beholder has taken up residence on the far side “The Dread Hood” is a wily highwayman operating
So you’ve fought the goblins and made it back to Fall of the King’s Wall. No one in Restwell knows north of the Snakewood, so-called because of the
crest alive. You’ve braved the Twisting Halls. You’ve what the creature is up to, but it involves a pair of voluminous, black hood which perpetually shields
even faced Parald in the Ghost Tower of the Witch captured rust monsters. An adventure for 4th- his features. What hides beneath that hood?
light Fens. The adventure isn’t over, because now it’s level characters. Perhaps it’s best if you don’t know.
time to explore the Dungeon of the Ghost Tower!
This 2nd-level adventure picks up where “The
Twisting Halls” (from the D&D Red Box) leaves off. 51 Chaos Scar: 3 Editorial
Way ward W yrmling By Steve Winter
A veritable goulash of topics … but mostly a great sense
27 The Dreamheart By Aeryn “Blackdirge” Rudel of joy at seeing Larry Elmore return to the cover of
Dungeon magazine.
A group of heroes has slain an adamantine
By Bruce R. Cordell dragon in the Chaos Scar, and the countryside
This oblong chunk of stone appears unimpressive, echoes with songs of praise for their deed. But 69 Dungeoncr af t
but when viewed from the right location, it can be what if that monster had offspring? An adventure By James Wyatt
seen for what it is—an artifact of dreams, power, for 3rd-level characters. James pulls back the curtain for one more look—could it
and endless possibilities. be the last?—at his Aquela campaign.
62 Eye on Dark Sun: 72 Save My Ga me

31 Unearthed Arcana: Cur ses! The Broken Builder s By Stephen Radney-MacFarland
By Peter Schaefer By Rodney Thompson Whether you want to become a better DM in general or
you need help now, “Save My Game” is the place to be.
Curses are a staple of myth and fantasy fiction. We Athas is a broken world. So broken, some believe,
bring them to your Dungeons & Dragons game as that it is beyond hope of repair. If it can’t be fixed,
a variant of diseases. perhaps it can be reborn whole. But to be reborn,
first it must die.
35 Backdrop: Q’Barr a
By Keith Baker On the Cover
Illustration by Larry Elmore
To understand Q’Barra, you must study the
dragonshard trade which drives so much of the
region’s economy … and its strife.
Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Dungeon, Dragon, d20, d20 System, Wizards of the Coast, all other Wizards of the Coast
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No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. For more Dungeons & Dragons
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edit o rial
182
Du ngeon
Editor-in-Chief
S e p t e m b e r 2 010
Steve Winter
The Return of the King
Senior Art Director Jon Schindehette Rather than focus on one topic, this month’s editorial will two decades, Elmore art was synonymous with D&D
Web Production Bart Carroll be something of a goulash. and AD&D.
First: this month’s cover. Of the hundreds of covers that Larry painted, the
Contributing Authors Keith Baker, Bruce R. Cordell,
I suppose it’s possible that someone could look at the one that probably was seen by more eyes than any
Ed Greenwood,
cover on this issue and think, “oh, that’s nice,” and move other—possibly by more eyes than any other D&D paint-
Stephen Radney-MacFarland,
on without a blink. Possible, but hard to imagine. That’s ing, period—was the cover of the 1984 “red box” edition
Aeryn “Blackdirge” Rudel,
because this month’s cover painting is by a giant in the of Basic D&D, the box that introduced countless tens
Peter Schaefer, Robert J. Schwalb,
RPG industry: none other than Larry Elmore himself. of thousands of newcomers to the world of roleplaying
Rodney Thompson, Rob Wieland,
I’d like to be able to say that Larry’s return to Dungeon games. That same, great piece of fantasy art is back again
James Wyatt
magazine was my doing, but I can’t. For that, we can thank as the cover of the new Red Box, and we got a companion
Developers Jeremy Crawford, our hard-working, long-suffering art director, Mr. Jon piece to go with this month’s feature adventure, “Dungeon
Stephen Schubert, Greg Bilsland Schindehette. Jon puts up with mountains of grief from of the Ghost Tower” by Rob Schwalb. As always, it’s stun-
me, and then he turns around and delivers a Larry Elmore ning. Thanks, Larry. It’s an honor to work with you again.
Editor Miranda Horner
cover to help celebrate the release of the new Dungeons & Second: Unearthed Arcana.
Cover Artist Larry Elmore Dragons® Starter Set. If you haven’t read this month’s Dragon editorial, you’ll
My association with Larry goes back to the very early want to bop over there when you’re done here. I won’t
Contributing Artists Sam Burley, Kristina Carroll,
1980s, when he was hired by TSR. Larry became an repeat myself, other than to say lots of people here are
Wayne England, Jason A. Engle,
instant star thanks to his tremendous talent. For almost very excited about the possibilities opened up by a simple
Wes Louie
thing like Unearthed Arcana. The bulk of what you read
Cartographers Jason A. Engle in Dragon and Dungeon will still be official, sanctioned
material, but every now and then, we’re going to stretch
Publishing Production Angelika Lokotz, Erin Dorries,
the envelope a bit—or a lot.
Specialists Christopher Tardiff
Third: Adventures.
Web Development Mark A. Jindra Many discussions have taken place here over the last
year about what makes a roleplaying experience excellent
Executive Producer,
as opposed to merely good. Those conversations are still
D&D Insider Christopher Perkins
going on, and will continue for—oh, a long time, I hope,
Director of RPG R&D Bill Slavicsek because I enjoy them—but some exciting conclusions and
initiatives have grown out of them. You’ll see evidence of
Special Thanks James Wyatt
that in the Essentials line when it goes on sale. You’ll see
more of it here in Dungeon, as we begin experimenting
with new (and maybe a few old) formats for adventures.
That’s really a topic for the future, though. I think I’ll tuck
that in my hip pocket for October’s or November’s editorial.
the
Dungeon
of the
Ghost Tower
By Robert J. Schwalb
illustration by Sam Burley F cartography by Jason A. Engle
“The Dungeon of the Ghost Tower” is an adventure

for five 2nd-level characters. It picks up from the
story which began in the solo adventure presented
in the Dungeons & Dragons® Fantasy Roleplay-
ing Game Starter Set and continued in the solo
adventure “Ghost Tower of the Witchlight Fens”
(available from www.wizards.com with the redemp-
tion code from the starter set) and “The Twisted
Halls” adventure in the Dungeon Master’s Book.
While intended as the next step for new Dungeon
Masters, showing the way forward into the wider
world of D&D®, any group can venture into the
Witchlight Fens to uncover the horrid secret that
the Ghost Tower conceals. Those who survive the
many perils lying in wait earn enough experience
points to reach 3rd level by the adventure’s end.
TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC All rights reserved.
S e p t e m b e r 2 010 | D u n g e o n 18 2
4
The Dungeon of the Ghost Tower
Adventure “Seemingly” because Anarus met his doom on

the blade of his lesser student, an outcast dwarf from
Background Hammerfast named Traevus. For years, Traevus had The Ghost Tower
resented the bond between Anarus and his other (and If you played the solo adventure “Ghost Tower of
The Nentir River’s waters tumble through the Moon better) student, Malareth. Driven by hate, Traevus the Witchlight Fens,” in which you helped Sareth
Hills, running alongside Fallcrest, where they crash betrayed and killed his teacher and stole his wicked recover her mother’s stolen sword, then your char-
down onto the rocks before continuing their journey tomes. Then he fled toward the west from Nentir Vale acter already knows a few things about this tower.
south. They twist and bend through a darkening with the books and Anarus’s head as a grisly trophy. During that adventure, you may have discovered the
land, a region blighted by the dreaded Witchlight Before Traevus could find a safe haven, his rival staircase that descends beneath the tower. You didn’t
Fens. The Nentir vanishes into that vast quagmire, Malareth descended on him and seized the skull for have time then to explore further down, but you did
where it joins with the White River to form the his own dark ends. Thanks to the adventuring band’s see that the stairs continue much deeper than where
murky soup that has been known to swallow unwary brave efforts, Malareth was defeated and the skull is you went.
travelers and to harbor vile and sinister creatures nearly back in Traevus’s hands once more—and that You also learned that this is only one of three
spawned from nightmare. Aside from the hardy may not be a good thing. legendary “ghost towers.” Where the others might be
rangers who patrol its bounds, few venture near the
located, how they are linked, and what secrets they
Fens lest they invite trouble into their lives. Though
common folk know to steer clear of the Fens, this has Adventure Synopsis conceal is another adventure altogether …
not always been the case.

The adventure begins at the Ghost Tower of the
Many nobles have tried to conquer the bog, and
Witchlight Fens (see sidebar). There, the adventurers
each time their effort met failure. The last to claim Halls.” The last does not, so it can be used as a general
discover a staircase winding down into the darkness.
these lands were the Kaltons, a noble family of dubi- hook. Choose the quest that best applies and read it
It empties out into a chamber haunted by undead.
ous reputation who sought to make their home on the to the players when the characters are standing at the
Beyond the undead lies a room guarded by a deadly
Fens’ eastern fringes. As with many who came before, foot of the Ghost Tower.
trap. After dealing with the trap, the characters are
the bog coughed up horrors beyond counting to drive
free to explore the site, though it shouldn’t take long
off the settlers and crash against the Kalton Manor’s Recover the Anarusi Codex
before they realize that there is one place they cannot
walls. Many believed that the family died out with its After returning the skull to Traevus and receiving
go—at least not without the key, which is scattered in
half-finished keep, but the truth is far more tragic. the reward he promised, the dwarf had a second
pieces throughout the dungeon. Once the characters
Survivors fled the area, but they carried its taint mission for you because you performed the first
recover those pieces, they can push on to confront the
with them. A few of these bred a reclusive, twisted one so admirably. He asked you to travel to the
ghost which haunts the final chamber.
family that is poisoned by the Fens’ dark influence Witchlight Fens and recover for him a magic tome
and whose members ponder death’s mysteries. The entitled Anarusi Codex. He claimed it was a danger-
last Kalton was Anarus who, by all accounts, was the Quests ous book and feared what might happen if it fell
into the wrong hands. His directions lead to the
worst of the lot. Beneath the sagging tower whose pale
The best way to lure the players into the plot is to Ghost Tower.
stones shine in the full moon’s light, he explored the Reward: 125 XP per adventurer and 170 gp for
use a quest relating to the prior experiences with the
forbidden and the perverse, all with the aid of his two the group.
unfolding story. The first three quests assume that the
seemingly loyal apprentices.
players played through the events in “The Twisting
5
Dark Secrets revealed Treasure Ending the

Sensing terrible magic in the skull, you opted not to
hand over the relic to your employer, at least not until The characters should find four magic items and Adventure
you figured out what he wants to do with it. Asking accumulate the equivalent of 1,040 gp over the
around Fallcrest, you learned Traevus is a stranger to The adventure ends when the characters complete
course of the adventure. Treasure rewards are
the town. The few people who know him believe that their major quest, usually achieved by defeating the
described at the end of each encounter. Magic items
he hails from someplace east of the Witchlight Fens, ghost of Anarus Kalton in the dungeon’s bowels.
are similarly assigned. If you find a magic item isn’t
in particular a sinister place named the Ghost Tower. What happens next depends on the quest.
suited for any of your player characters, swap out that
If you want to learn the truth about Traevus, the Recover the Anarusi Codex: The characters have
Ghost Tower seems the best place to search. item for another of the same level.
the tome in hand. If they weren’t suspicious before,
Reward: 125 XP per adventurer.
the tome should definitely nudge them closer to ques-
Preparing the tioning their employer’s motives. A sinister black book
Confirm Suspicions
You emerged from the Twisting Halls and returned
Adventure filled with mad ravings about necromancy and dark
magic is enough to give anyone pause. Will the char-
to Fallcrest. There, a fiery dwarf priest named acters hand over the tome? Will they destroy it? Will
Being familiar with the adventure and the encounters
Grundelmar greeted you. Pulling you aside, he ex-
it contains is the best way to start. You don’t need to they confront their master?
plained that the skull harbors wicked power, and he
memorize everything that will take place, but take Dark Secrets Revealed: The characters learn
confided that Traevus is himself a necromancer who
intends to perform a dread ritual somewhere near the time to review the information, skim encounters, the truth about Traevus from Anarus Kalton. Will
Winterhaven. The priest asked you to bring Trae- familiarize yourself with monsters, and review the Traevus be waiting for the heroes when they return?
vus to justice and promised a reward, but it seems magic items to make sure they are appropriate for Or will he have fled to Winterhaven or someplace
the merchant figured out you were on to him and your group. beyond it?
fled. Tracking your erstwhile employer led you to a Confirm Suspicions: The characters confront
crumbling tower on the edge of a vast swamp. If you Traevus in the dungeon below the Ghost Tower and
want to bring him to justice, you need to find him in Starting the learn his whole, sorry tale (see below). Do the charac-
these ruins.
Reward: 125 XP per adventurer and 170 gp for
Adventure ters believe him? Will they help him? Or do they drag
the group. him back to Fallcrest to face certain justice at Grun-
Tell the players their quest and start the adventure delmar’s hands?
at the point where the heroes reach the Ghost Tower. Weird Lights on the Moor: The heroes vanquish
Weird lights On the moor
The characters can then enter the dungeon, explore the evil which dwells in the Ghost Tower’s ruins and
Travelers from the south reported seeing strange its locations, and defeat the enemies lurking within. recover the blasphemous Anarusi Codex. What will
sights in the Witchlight Fens, including weird lights, When you’re ready to begin, proceed with Encoun- the heroes do with such a wicked tome? What horrors
oddly shuffling figures in the mist, and so on. Fore-
ter 1. does it contain? Are others interested in acquiring the
most of these tales was the Ghost Tower, so named
because it shines in the moonlight. There might be pages between its blackened covers?
plunder in that place and wonders buried in the
ruins haunting that land. The only way to find out is
to go there and have a look.
Reward: 125 XP per adventurer.
6
Expanding Stopping to Rest Dungeon Overview

the Adventure The dungeon’s inhabitants have resided here for some The Ghost Tower is the only intact structure remain-
time and they seldom return to the surface, so the ing from Kalton Manor, and even it is a hollow shell.
You can expand this adventure in several ways.
characters can retreat up to the ruined tower and Below the ruin, however, is a dungeon complex used
Long Introduction: Each quest contains a sum-
rest when they need to. You should describe this time by the misanthropic Kaltons, who refused to yield
mary of those events that led the characters to the
as being filled with weird cries and strange noises their territory to the monsters spilling out from the
Ghost Tower. You can easily roleplay through these
echoing through the mist. If the characters rely on Fens. The chambers below are described in the
scenarios to hook the players in a more organic
extended rests too often and seldom take any risks, encounters that follow. They testify to the profane
fashion. Doing so helps the players develop their
something from the Fens might crawl out of the bog magic used here in the form of shuffling undead
characters’ personalities while also giving them the
to investigate all the activity in the tower. Consider roving its corridors.
chance to further explore Fallcrest.
running the following encounter after the adventur-
A Dangerous Journey: The adventure assumes
ers take their second extended rest.
that the characters find no trouble as they make their
way to the Witchlight Fens, but this short journey is a Witchlight Raiders
great opportunity for you to try your hand at building
Level 2 Encounter (625 XP)
encounters. It also gives the players a chance to test
Lizardfolk with goblin henchmen sometimes emerge
new powers before entering the dungeon. Design a
from the swamp to plunder nearby farmsteads and
level 2 encounter with a good assortment of monster
hamlets for food,
roles and spring it on the characters at some point
prisoners, and
during the trip.
treasure. The rang-
More Encounters: Although the characters can
ers who patrol the
reach 3rd level by the adventure’s conclusion, you
edge of the swamp
might add additional encounters to the dungeon
keep most of these
by adding passages that lead to other locations. A
raiders at bay.
kobold band could claim a new section and fight a
The poisonscale tribe hasn’t been able to raid outside
losing battle against interloping goblins, for example.
the swamp for months, so its warriors are angry and
Or, the pit in encounter area 4 might lead to even
frustrated. A group of outsiders camping in the Ghost
deeper, more dangerous caverns beneath this level
Tower is a perfect target for them. This band strikes the
of the dungeon. Remember that the more combat
adventurers’ encampment just after the group takes a
encounters you add, the harder the adventure
second extended rest. Use the map from Encounter 1.
becomes. Don’t stretch the characters’ resources too
All the creatures’ statistics blocks are in the Starter Set.
far at this stage of their careers.
F 1 poisonscale brawler (level 3 brute)

F 3 poisonscale snatchers (level 2 lurker)
F 4 goblin snipers (level 1 minion artillery)
7
Four Keys before the adventure, depending on the choices the Traevus
Medium natural humanoid, dwarf
Level 3 Controller (Leader)
XP 150
players make.
HP 43; Bloodied 21 Initiative +1
Anarus long suspected treachery from his appren- Traevus is indeed a necromancer. He studied
AC 17, Fortitude 14, Reflex 15, Will 15 Perception +4
tices. He was certain they would betray him yet he under Anarus for many years. He didn’t learn purely Speed 5 Low-light vision
wasn’t prepared when they did, so that Traevus got to gain power, but rather to find a way to free his Resist 6 necrotic
the better of him in the end. Before his death, Anarus brother’s imprisoned soul. He suspects it lies in the Traits
took steps to safeguard his most prized possessions, Shadowfell, beyond a lost gate somewhere to the west O Death Master F Aura 5
the Anarasi Codex in particular, against his appren- near Winterhaven. The necromancer refused to teach All undead allies within the aura gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls
Traevus the lore he sought, so Traevus murdered his and resist 5 radiant.
tices. Using dark magic, Anarus created a potent
Stand the Ground
magical lock called a ward to seal his inner sanctum. master and turned to less conventional methods to
Traevus can move 1 square less than the effect specifies when
Access to the chamber could be gained only by gain the information he needs.
subjected to a pull, push, or slide.
assembling four magic keys into a gateway that would When confronted, and if given the chance, Trae- Steady-Footed
break the ward. Anarus scattered the keys through vus explains his true motives and what he intends, Traevus can make a saving throw to avoid falling prone when
the dungeon and set traps and guardians to watch although he won’t mention killing Anarus. He asks an attack would knock him prone.
over them, but before he could hide the final one, the adventurers for help, knowing the ritual he seeks Standard Actions
Traevus killed him in his study. is contained in the Anarusi Codex hidden somewhere m Handaxe (weapon) F At-Will
in this dungeon. If the heroes agree, Traevus accom- Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. AC
Each key is a bluish-gray bar about 6 inches long
Hit: 1d6 + 1 damage.
and flattened into a rounded disc at one end. Touch- panies them through the dungeon, lending aid in
r Shadow Claw (implement, necrotic) F At-Will
ing any one of the four pieces to any other causes combat but generally staying out of the heroes’ way
Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); +7 vs. Fortitude
them to link together at a 90-degree angle, so that all when it comes to recovering the keys. Hit: 1d8 + 4 necrotic damage, and Traevus slides the target up
four together form a rectangle. When the assembled Just because Traevus is acting to rescue his brother to 2 squares.
key is held in front of the portal, it hangs in space, doesn’t mean that he’s a good guy or a trustworthy R Decaying Whisper (implement, necrotic) F Recharge 4 5 6
then enlarges to become 20 feet wide and 10 feet ally. He has already lied to the characters at least Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); +7 vs. Fortitude
high. It remains open until removed, at which point it once and murdered his teacher. Don’t forget that, Hit: 2d10 + 3 necrotic damage, and the target is slowed and
even if the players do. The fact of the murder is likely takes ongoing 5 necrotic damage (save ends both).
falls into pieces once more.
A Swarming Claws (implement, necrotic) F Encounter
to be revealed when Anarus is encountered, and
Attack: Area burst 1 within 10 (enemies in the burst); +7 vs.
Traevus can’t afford to have that secret spread back to
Traevus civilization.
Reflex
Hit: 2d6 + 3 damage, and the target is immobilized (save ends).
The “Confirm Suspicions” quest has the characters Miss: Half damage.
tracking down Traevus. He is most likely in the dun- Effect: The burst becomes a zone that lasts until the end of the
geon hunting for the keys. Add Traevus to whatever encounter. Squares within the zone are difficult terrain. Any
enemy that starts its turn within the zone takes 5 damage.
encounter you like. He might join the other enemies
Skills Arcana +9, Bluff +6, Intimidate +6, Religion +9
in the combat. The adventurers might try talking
Str 12 (+2) Dex 11 (+1) Wis 16 (+4)
to Traevus to learn what he’s up to, and they might Con 11 (+1) Int 16 (+4) Cha 11 (+1)
even gain his help. You can also use Traevus after or Alignment evil Languages Common, Dwarven
Equipment fine clothing, handaxe, dagger
8
Encounter 1: Tactics 7 Grasping Zombies (Z)

Medium natural animate (undead)
Level 1 Brute
XP 100 each
The zombies are nearly mindless, so it takes them a
Dark Stairs few moments to organize into a fighting force. Each
HP 33; Bloodied 16
AC 13, Fortitude 14, Reflex 11, Will 11
Initiative –1
Perception –1
round after the first, two more zombies climb the Speed 4 Darkvision
Encounter Level 2 (700 XP)
stairs until all seven have joined the fight. If a char- Immune disease, poison
Setup acter moves into the lower chamber during this fight, Traits
Zombie Weakness
7 grasping zombies (Z) all the remaining zombies that haven’t come up the
A critical hit automatically reduces the zombie to 0 hit points.
stairs are waiting there and they attack at once. Standard Actions
A staircase in the ruined Ghost Tower spirals The zombies attack the nearest enemy each round, m Slam F At-Will
down until it ends in an antechamber. Beyond, a using zombie grasp to hold their opponents in place Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +6 vs. AC
second staircase descends into a dungeon. Although and then using slam against targets they are grabbing. Hit: 1d12 + 3 damage, or 1d12 + 8 against a grabbed target.
M Zombie Grasp F At-Will
designed to hold prisoners, the dungeon also allowed
the more sinister Kaltons to use captives for their ter-
Features of the Area Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +4 vs. Reflex
Hit: The zombie grabs the target (escape DC 12) if it does not
rible experiments. Illumination: These rooms are dark.
have a creature grabbed.
Stairs: Squares containing stairs are difficult
Triggered Actions
When the adventurers reach the bottom of the terrain. Deathless Hunger F Encounter
first staircase, place the appropriate tiles and Basin: The water in the basins is foul and toxic. Trigger: The zombie is reduced to 0 hit points, but not by a
read the following text aloud: Any living creature that drinks the water takes 5 critical hit.
Decay chokes the air in the modest antechamber. Across it, necrotic damage. Effect (No Action): Roll a d20. On a 15 or higher, the zombie is
a dark passage reveals another staircase going down. You Bloody Grate: Hatred and violence infuse the instead reduced to 1 hit point.
blood staining the grate and the stones around it. Skills Arcana +9, Bluff +6, Intimidate +6, Religion +9
glimpse glowing pinpricks in the gloom ahead and a faint
Str 16 (+3) Dex 8 (–1) Wis 8 (–1)
shuffling noise that grows louder. Now you see that those Any creature standing in or adjacent to a square con-
Con 13 (+1) Int 1 (–5) Cha 3 (–4)
dots of light are the faintly glowing eye sockets of horrid, taining the bloody grate can score a critical hit on a
Alignment unaligned Languages Common, Dwarven
rotting zombies with blackened claws. 19 or 20.
Cages: The doors to the cages are unlocked, but
Two grasping zombies come to investigate the heroes’ they are rusted shut. Opening a door requires a minor
light source. Place them where indicated, roll initiative action and a successful DC 9 Strength check.
for the zombies, and record the players’ initiative scores. Doors: The doors in the lower chamber are closed
and not locked.
When the adventurers reach the bottom of the
second staircase, place the appropriate tiles and
read the following text aloud:
The second staircase opens into a large chamber filled with
rusting cages. A basin holds brackish water in one corner,
and a bloodstained grate serves as a drain in another.
Double doors stand closed opposite the staircase.
9
Encounter 2: Scything Blades

Object
Level 4 Trap
XP 350
Blades of Death Detect Perception DC 21 Initiative special

Immune all damage, forced movement, all conditions
Encounter Level 1 (350 XP) Traits

Unpredictable Scythes
Setup The trap acts on initiative counts 24, 14, and 4, using one stan-
dard action per turn. On each of Its turns, the trap attacks one
Scything blades row of squares. Roll a d6 to determine which row it attacks;
match the die result with the numbers shown on the map.
This chamber contains a deadly trap which demon- The trap makes an attack against each creature in the row’s
strates the lengths to which Anarus Kalton went to squares.
safeguard his private sanctum. Perception Check Standard Actions
DC 11: A character notices thin, shallow cuts M Scythe Attack F At-Will
Effect: Before the attack, roll a d6. The result determines which
When the adventurers open the western doors, running across the dungeon floor at 5-foot
row the trap attacks.
place the appropriate tiles and read the follow- intervals.
Attack: Melee (all creatures in a row of squares); +11 vs. AC
ing text aloud: DC 15: The character notices thin slots across Hit: 1d8 + 4 damage, the trap pushes the target 1 square,
A plain stone room stretches ahead. Double doors, wooden the room’s ceiling, corresponding with the cuts knocks the target prone, and the target takes ongoing 5
and reinforced with iron bands, stand opposite the ones you across the floor. damage (save ends).
just opened. All is still. All is quiet. DC 23: The character notices a strange stone panel Countermeasures
adjacent to the double doors on the opposite side. F Predict: Dungeoneering DC 21 (minor action). Success: If the
character is in a row the trap would attack, the character
Have the players position their tokens near the
entrance to the chamber and then compare their Tactics can shift 1 square as an immediate reaction.
F Disable: Thievery DC 21 (standard action). Success: The
passive Perception to the Perception DCs described See the trap’s description for information on how it
character disables one scything blade (roll a d6 to see which
below. Give them the information they receive for works. To defeat the trap, the characters must either one) at the control panel. When you roll to determine the
their check result plus all lower results. disable it or destroy it using the countermeasures row the trap attacks and you get a result corresponding to a
The adventurers trigger the trap when one enters described above. disabled blade, the trap does not attack for that turn. When
a pressure plate square indicated on the tactical map. all blades are disabled, the trap is destroyed. Failure (16 or
Be sure to have the players show you where they are Features of the Area less): A scything blade attacks a random row.
Control Panel: The control panel for the trap is F Destroy: AC 15, Fortitude 12, Reflex 12, 48 hp per blade. To
moving exactly so you know whether they trigger the
attack a blade, a character must ready an action to attack a
trap. Once a character triggers the trap, have every- on the wall at the far end of blade row 2.
scything blade as it passes through his or her square or an
one roll initiative. Illumination: This room is dark.
adjacent square. Success: Dropping a blade to 0 hit points
Eastern Doors: The doors on the east wall are destroys the blade. When you roll to determine the row
locked. The doors unlock when all the scything blades the trap attacks and you get a result corresponding to a
are disabled or destroyed. Alternatively, a character can destroyed blade, the trap does not attack for that turn.
break down the door with a DC 19 Strength check.
10
Encounter 3: Tombs When the shadowhunter bat attacks, read the 2 Skeletons (S)
Medium natural animate (undead)
Level 3 Soldier
XP 150 each
text aloud:
HP 45; Bloodied 22 Initiative +6
Encounter Level 2 (625 XP) What at first looked like a shadow pulls free from the
ceiling and flutters toward you, a long barbed tail trailing. Speed 6 Darkvision
Setup Immune disease, poison; Resist 10 necrotic; Vulnerable 5
1 shadowhunter bat (B) Perception Check radiant
2 skeletons (S) DC 20: The character notices the shadowhunter Traits
7 decrepit skeletons (D) bat cloaked in the ceiling’s darkness. Speed of the Dead
When making an opportunity attack, a skeleton gains a +2
bonus to the attack roll and deals 1d6 extra damage.
This chamber was where the Kalton family interred Shadowhunter Bat (B) Level 3 Lurker
Medium shadow magical beast XP 150 Standard Actions
their important dead. Anarus Kalton animated sev-
HP 38; Bloodied 19 Initiative +9 m Longsword (weapon) F At-Will
eral skeletons to stand guard against tomb robbers. Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. AC
Now those undead linger, waiting to serve the pur- Speed 2 (clumsy), fly 8 Darkvision Hit: 1d8 + 5 damage, and the target is marked until the end of
pose for which they were made. Standard Actions the skeleton’s next turn.
m Tail Slash F At-Will Str 15 (+3) Dex 17 (+4) Wis 14 (+3)
When the adventurers enter this room, place Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. AC Con 13 (+2) Int 3 (–3) Cha 3 (–3)
the appropriate tiles and read the following text Hit: 1d6 + 4 damage. In dim light or darkness, a shadowhunter Alignment unaligned Languages —
bat gains a +2 bonus to the attack roll and deals 6 extra Equipment longsword
aloud:
damage.
This musty chamber contains four sarcophagi. Doors 7 Decrepit Skeletons (D) Level 1 Minion Skirmisher
R Flyby Attack F At-Will
lead out to the north and south, while billowing violet Medium natural animate (undead) XP 25 each
Effect: The shadowhunter bat flies up to 8 squares and makes
mist swirls in the center of the far wall. Bones lie in heaps HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
one melee basic attack at any point during that movement.
Initiative +3
around the room, mixed with blades and bows. A clattering The bat doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks when moving
noise reveals that these aren’t ordinary bones, and that is away from the target of the attack.
Speed 6 Darkvision
confirmed when they rise up as one, brandishing pitted and Skills Stealth +10
Immune disease, poison; Resist 10 necrotic; Vulnerable 5
notched weapons. Str 13 (+2) Dex 18 (+5) Wis 13 (+2)
radiant
Con 14 (+3) Int 2 (–3) Cha 11 (+1)
Standard Actions
Alignment unaligned Languages —
Place the skeleton tokens on the map where indi- m Longsword (weapon) F At-Will
cated. Be sure to tell the players that the decrepit Effect: The skeleton shifts 1 square before making its attack.
skeletons are in poor shape and probably wouldn’t Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +6 vs. AC
Hit: 4 damage.
survive a single hit. Don’t place the bat until it
R Shortbow (weapon) F At-Will
attacks or until the characters detect it. Then roll
Effect: The skeleton shifts 1 square before making its attack.
initiative for the monsters and record the charac- Attack: Ranged 15/30 (one creature); +6 vs. AC
ters’ initiative scores. Hit: 4 damage.
Str 15 (+2) Dex 17 (+3) Wis 14 (+2)
Con 13 (+1) Int 3 (–4) Cha 3 (–4)
Equipment longsword, shortbow, 20 arrows
11
Features of the Area and dumps them into the chamber below; they take
1d10 damage from the fall (remember that characters
Illumination: This room is dark.
trained in Acrobatics can reduce falling damage). If
Ceiling: The ceiling is 30 feet overhead.
the ladder crumbles this way, characters need to use
Sarcophagi: Four sarcophagi stand in this cham-
a rope or Athletics skill to climb up or down through
ber. A sarcophagus grants cover to creatures standing
the shaft from then on.
behind it, and squares in its space count as difficult
The lid on the bottom left sarcophagus is broken
terrain. An adjacent character can push the lid off
and lying on the floor. It is empty except for a narrow
with a DC 15 Athletics check.
shaft with a ladder that descends into darkness to
A carving on the sarcophagus at the top right
Encounter 5. Have characters make the same Acro-
depicts a scowling man dressed in plate armor. His
batics check when descending or climbing this ladder,
hands rest on the pommel of a longsword whose
but it only shakes and cracks; it won’t break.
blade extends the length of his body. An inscription
Doors: The doors on the north and south walls are
on the cartouche identifies the man as Arrol Kalton.
wooden and banded with iron. They are closed and
Inside this sarcophagus is the body of Arrol Kalton
unlocked but very heavy. A DC 13 Athletics check is
along with a +1 frost longsword and a golden circlet
needed to open them.
Tactics worth 90 gp. Prying the sword from his deathgrip
Violet Mist: Billowing violet mist covers a sec-
requires a DC 9 Strength check.
The undead waste no time before attacking the tion of the eastern wall. Any character entering the
Carvings on the top left sarcophagus display a
intruders. The two skeletons take positions on either mist reappears in the last square he or she occupied,
proud, regal woman in chainmail and equipped with
side of the door, so any character passing by faces having been turned around by the magical atmo-
a shield and mace. A sunburst on the shield suggests
their deadly opportunity attacks. The skeletons attack sphere. A DC 10 Arcana check made while studying
she might have been a paladin in service to Pelor. The
the nearest enemy each round. the mist reveals it is magical and is a barrier of some
cartouche shows her name as Alana Kalton. Inside
The decrepit skeletons hang back and pepper the kind. Success by 5 or more reveals that the barrier
this sarcophagus are the remains of Alana Kalton but
heroes with shortbow attacks, adjusting their posi- can be bypassed with a special magic key (see “Four
nothing of value.
tions each time to get the best angle on their attacks Keys” above). Success by 10 or more reveals that the
The bottom right sarcophagus features an androg-
and keeping the sarcophagi between them and the characters cannot move through the mist until they
ynous figure carved on the lid, hairless and with no
characters. The decrepit skeletons target characters collect all four key parts, assemble them, and place
distinguishing features. Scrawled in red paint is the
carrying light sources, but they defend themselves if the key in the mist to form a portal through the bar-
message, “Anarus Kalton—burn in the Nine Hells.”
threatened by shifting and shooting each time. rier. A character who succeeds on the check also
The sarcophagus itself is empty, but from its bottom,
Finally, the shadowhunter bat uses f lyby attack to recognizes the metal rods as components of the key.
a narrow shaft with a rickety ladder extends 20 feet
strike at characters on the periphery, especially if they
down to Encounter 7. As characters climb down or
are in dim light or darkness where it excels.
up the ladder, have each make a DC 9 Acrobatics
check at the midpoint of the ladder. Anyone who
fails feels the ladder shifting and cracking because of
their movement. If anyone fails by 5 or more (rolling
an adjusted result of 4 or less), the ladder collapses
12
Encounter 4: Rats! Depending on the order in which the characters When the adventurers enter the western room,
enter these rooms, you might need to modify the fol- place the appropriate tiles and read the follow-
Encounter Level 4 (950 XP) lowing text. ing text aloud:
At the short passage’s end, you spot a pile of rubble and
Setup When the adventurers enter the eastern room, bones. The rest of the room opens up to the south, where
2 deathjump spiders (S) place the appropriate tiles and read the follow- you see two pony-sized spiders crouching on the floor. Their
2 scurrying rat swarms (R) ing text aloud: black carapaces glitter in your light. Behind them yawns a
4 dire rats (D) The stairs open into a square chamber containing several deep pit.
tables and two bookshelves laden with rotting books and
Anarus studied and experimented with dark magic scrolls. Rats stand on the tables and scurry across the floor. Place tokens only for those monsters the characters
in these two chambers. The western chamber was These large, aggressive rats immediately cease what they’re can see. Then, roll initiative for all the monsters and
where he once practiced his spells, while the eastern doing and turn their black, glinting eyes toward you. record their and the characters’ results.
chamber was where he examined his once-priceless
manuscripts. Since his murder, rats have made nests
from the pages and bookworms have made short
work of the tomes. To make matters worse, two loath-
some spiders have crept
up from the Underdark
through the hole in the
western room’s floor.
13
2 Deathjump Spiders (S) Level 4 Skirmisher 2 Scurrying Rat Swarms (R) Level 1 Skirmisher 4 Dire Rats (D) Level 1 Brute
Medium natural beast (spider) XP 175 each Medium natural beast (swarm) XP 100 each Medium natural beast XP 100 each
HP 52; Bloodied 26 Initiative +5 HP 27; Bloodied 13 Initiative +5 HP 38; Bloodied 19 Initiative +2
AC 18, Fortitude 17, Reflex 16, Will 15 Perception +7 AC 15, Fortitude 13, Reflex 15, Will 11 Perception +4 AC 13, Fortitude 13, Reflex 11, Will 9 Perception +5
Speed 6, climb 6 (spider climb) Tremorsense 5 Speed 6, climb 2 Low-light vision Speed 6, climb 3 Low-light vision
Resist 10 poison Resist half damage from melee and ranged attacks; Immune filth fever
Traits Vulnerable 5 against close and area attacks Standard Actions
Soft Fall Traits m Slam (disease) F At-Will
The spider ignores the first 30 feet when determining damage O Swarm Attack F Aura 1 Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +6 vs. AC
from a fall. Any enemy that begins its turn within the aura takes 4 Hit: 1d10 + 5 damage, and the target is exposed to filth
Web Walk damage, and the swarm slides it 1 square. fever.
The spider ignores difficult terrain composed of webs. Swarm Skills Stealth +7
Standard Actions The swarm can occupy the same space as another creature, Str 14 (+2) Dex 15 (+2) Wis 10 (+0)
m Bite (poison) F At-Will and an enemy can enter its space, which is difficult terrain. Con 18 (+4) Int 2 (–4) Cha 6 (–2)
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +9 vs. AC The swarm cannot be pulled, pushed, or slid by melee or Alignment unaligned Languages —
Hit: 1d6 + 3 damage, and the target takes ongoing 5 poison ranged attacks. It can squeeze through any opening that is
damage and is slowed (save ends both).
M Death from Above F Recharge 4 5 6
large enough for at least one of the creatures it comprises.
Standard Actions
Tactics
Effect: The spider jumps 6 squares. This movement does not m Swarm of Teeth F At-Will Cautious and quiet characters might need to deal
provoke opportunity attacks. It then makes a melee basic Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +6 vs. AC with only one group of monsters at a time. If the
attack. On a hit, the spider deals 1d6 extra damage and the Hit: 1d10 + 3 damage, or 1d10 + 8 if the swarm moved at least spiders are not involved in the combat initially, they
target falls prone. 2 squares this turn. should make a DC 12 Perception check to hear the
Move Actions Effect: The swarm shifts 1 square. sound of fighting. The DC might be higher if the
m Prodigious Leap F Encounter Skills Stealth +8 characters take precautions (such as making Stealth
Effect: The spider jumps 10 squares. This movement does not Str 12 (+1) Dex 16 (+3) Wis 9 (–1)
checks to conceal their sounds, in which case the DC
provoke opportunity attacks. Con 11 (+0) Int 1 (–5) Cha 7 (–2)
equals the lowest Stealth check result).
Skills Athletics +9, Stealth +8 Alignment unaligned Languages —
Str 14 (+4) Dex 12 (+3) Wis 10 (+2)
The deathjump spiders are ravenous and this
Con 12 (+3) Int 1 (–3) Cha 8 (+1) shows in their tactics. They have tremorsense, so they
Alignment unaligned Languages — can detect invisible enemies within 5 squares. They
can also see normally in any light. When a spider
locates an enemy, it uses death from above to engage
that enemy and focuses its attack against that enemy
thereafter. If a spider becomes surrounded, it attacks
and then uses prodigious leap to escape.
14
The rats are hungry as well, but they do not leave Shelves: Two bookshelves stand against the walls
their room because they fear the spiders. The dire rats of the eastern room. They are filled with an odd
work in pairs against the nearest enemies, using bite assortment of moldering books. Any character who Filth Fever
each round. The scurrying rats keep moving so their opens a book finds several pale bookworms grown fat
The dire rats carry filth fever and when they hit a
attacks deal extra damage, even if doing so would on the abundant fare. Subjects covered deal with nec-
character with their bite attack, they expose their
provoke opportunity attacks. They flow through the romancy, anatomy, and treatises on the demon prince
target to the disease. At the end of the encounter,
characters, using swarm of teeth against anyone in Orcus. All are in such bad condition that not even the
each exposed character must make a saving throw.
their path. most foolish collector would buy one.
A character who fails this saving throw becomes
infected with filth fever.
Features of the Area Dire Rat Filth Fever Level 1 Disease
An infected character suffers the initial effect of
Illumination: All areas are dark. Those infected by this disease waste away as they alternately
suffer chills and hot flashes. the disease. After each extended rest, the character
Ceiling: The ceilings are 20 feet overhead.
Stage 0: The target recovers from the disease. makes an Endurance check. If the character scores
Pit: The spiders emerged from the pit in the west-
Stage 1: While affected by stage 1, the target loses a healing a 12 or better, his or her condition improves by one
ern room. The pit drops 30 feet into a natural cavern. surge. stage, but if the result is 7 or worse, the character’s
A creature that falls takes 3d10 damage on landing. Stage 2: While affected by stage 2, the target loses a healing
condition worsens by one stage. If the result is 8 to
Climbing out of the pit requires a DC 10 Athletics surge. The target also takes a –2 penalty to AC, Fortitude,
and Reflex. 11, the character’s condition doesn’t change that day.
check. The cavern isn’t part of this adventure, but if
Stage 3: While affected by stage 3, the target loses all healing A character who reaches the top stage is cured
you want to expand the adventure, this would be a surges and cannot regain hit points. and can stop making Endurance checks. If a character
good place to start. Check: At the end of each extended rest, the target makes a
Endurance check if it is at stage 1 or 2. reaches the bottom stage (the final state), he or she
Rubble: Debris chokes the western chamber’s
7 or lower: The stage of the disease increases by one. can no longer improve without the use of magic, such
northwestern corner. Hidden (DC 10 Perception 8–11: No change. as a special ritual designed to cure afflictions.
check) in the rubble and bones is a potion of healing, 5 12 or higher: The stage of the disease decreases by one.
An ally can use the Heal skill in place of the
gp, and 50 sp.
infected character’s Endurance check.
Stairs: A steep staircase leads down to the eastern
chamber. Staircase squares are difficult terrain.
Tables: Several tables occupy the eastern room.
They each hold rat droppings, gnawed papers long
since rendered impossible to read, a few paper-
weights, and assorted junk. On the central table,
however, is one magic key (see “Four Keys” above)
lying in a pool of dried blood. There is also a +1 orb of
sanguinary repercussions.
15
Encounter 5: Ensnaring Circle

Object
Level 5 Trap
XP —
2 Wraiths
Medium shadow humanoid
Level 5 Lurker
XP 200 each
Claiming the Key Detect Perception DC 0

Immune all damage, forced movement, all conditions
HP 53; Bloodied 26
Initiative +10
Perception +2
Encounter Level 1 (400 XP) Triggered Actions Speed 0, fly 6 (hover); phasing Darkvision
m Attack (necrotic, teleportation) F At-Will Immune disease, poison; Resist 10 necrotic
Refusing to surrender his achievements to his less
Trigger: A creature enters the circle or reaches into the magic Traits
worthy students, Anarus secured his keys behind
circle. Insubstantial
magic traps and deadly guardians. Effect: Melee 1 (the triggering creature); the creature teleports The wraith takes half damage from all attacks, except those
to an unoccupied square within the magic circle. The crea- that deal force damage. Whenever the wraith takes radiant
When the characters drop down into this ture is then restrained and takes ongoing 5 necrotic damage damage, it loses this trait until the start of its next turn.
chamber, place the appropriate tile and read (save ends both). The characters earn 1 failure toward the Spawn Wraith
the following text aloud: skill challenge. When the wraith kills a humanoid, that humanoid becomes
Soft blue light emanates from a glowing ring set in the Aftereffect: The creature teleports to the nearest unoccupied a wraith figment at the start of this wraith’s next turn. The
square outside the ensnaring circle’s space. new wraith appears in the space where the humanoid died
floor’s center. Flecks in the walls catch and reflect the light.
Countermeasures or in the nearest unoccupied square, and it rolls a new
In the ring’s center hovers a small, blue bar that is flattened
F Bypass: See “Bypassing the Circle.” Success: If a character initiative check. The new wraith acts under the Dungeon
at one end. succeeds in entering the circle, he or she can take the key. Master’s control.
Failure: See “Bypassing the Circle” for how a character Standard Actions
Claiming the key is a skill challenge, so the charac- can fail. m Shadow Touch (necrotic) F At-Will
ters must rely on skill checks rather than swords and F Dismantle: Arcana or Thievery DC 17 (standard action). Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. Reflex
spells to overcome this encounter. Let the players Requirement: See “Dismantling the Circle.” Success: Gain 1 Hit: 2d6 + 6 necrotic damage, or 4d6 + 14 necrotic damage if
success on the skill challenge. Failure (16 or less): The char- the wraith was invisible to the target when it attacked.
acter who fails the check takes 5 necrotic damage and the Triggered Actions
effort counts as a failure for the skill challenge. Shadow Glide (teleportation) F At-Will
Trigger: An attack that does not deal force or radiant damage
ask questions about the room, the circle, and other hits the wraith.
hidden features. Ask for skill checks when they inves- Effect (Free Action): The wraith becomes invisible until it hits or
misses with an attack or until the end of the encounter. The
tigate pertinent features or try things that could work,
wraith teleports up to 6 squares and cannot attack until the
until they either make six successful skill checks, thus
end of its next turn.
gaining the key, or they fail three skill checks, which Skills Stealth +11
causes the circle to summon two wraiths. If the char- Str 4 (–1) Dex 18 (+6) Wis 10 (+2)
acters defeat the wraiths, the circle’s power ends and Con 17 (+5) Int 6 (+0) Cha 15 (+4)
the heroes gain the key. Alignment chaotic evil Languages Common
16
Challenge Strategies Dismantling the Circle The circle itself Jumping the Circle The light from the
The characters have several avenues by which they offers some promise in reaching the key. magic circle extends from floor to ceiling, so jumping
can acquire the key, as described below. F A character that succeeds on a DC 12 Arcana or flying triggers the circle’s attack.
check learns the ensnaring circle’s properties
Bypassing the Circle The readaloud text and attacks. The check also reveals that there Teleportation Because the characters have
offers a clue to help the heroes defeat the circle; the is some connection between the circle and line of sight to the circle’s interior, they might think
stone in the walls was quarried from the Shadowfell. the Shadowfell. Success by 5 or more grants a teleportation will do the trick. A character can use a
Several blocks are hollowed out and contain a magi- +2 bonus on all further skill checks made to power such as fey step to appear inside the circle, but
cal gas that causes a creature to become smoky and dismantle the circle. the ensnaring circle makes an attack as soon as the
insubstantial. In such a state, a character could slip F A second Arcana check against a DC 17 (or character enters the destination square.
through the ward, snatch the key, and retreat. success by 10 or more on the first check) grants
F Any character who examines the wall and an extra success and also reveals that the shining Throwing an Object A character might
succeeds on a DC 12 Perception check discovers runes can be manipulated magically (using try to dislodge the key by throwing something into
a few unusual stone blocks. Arcana) or physically (using Thievery). the circle. The character can make a ranged basic
F Once the blocks have been spotted, a character F Once the characters gain the first success attack against the key. It has AC 15, other defenses
can make a DC 17 Dungeoneering check to from Arcana, any character can make a DC 17 12, and is immune to all damage. Each hit grants 1
identify the stones as hailing not from this world Religion check. A successful check doesn’t grant success and 1 failure. After each attack, inform the
and also to recognize that the stones are in fact a success in the skill challenge, but it does reveal players that the magic circle changes color as indi-
hollow. what happens if they fail to breach the circle (two cated in “Success and Failure” below.
F Pulling a hollow stone from the wall requires a wraiths will appear and attack).
DC 12 Athletics check. F Once the characters gain two successes from Success and Failure
F Cracking open the freed stone requires a DC 17 Arcana, they can begin the work of dismantling If the characters succeed on the skill challenge, they
Athletics check (using a weapon or tool grants a the ensnaring circle. A character can do so by fetch the key and receive 400 XP for completing the
+5 bonus to this check). Breaking the stone open making Arcana or Thievery checks (DC 17). skill challenge. Failed skill checks cause the ensnar-
releases a strange black gas. Each successful check applies a success toward ing circle to change color, becoming purple, then
F A DC 17 Arcana or Dungeoneering check allows the skill challenge, while each failure counts as a red, and finally black when the wraiths appear. If the
a character to recognize the gas’s properties and failure in the skill challenge and deals 5 necrotic heroes fail the skill challenge, the only way to get the
its use in bypassing the circle. damage to the character who failed the check. key is to defeat the two wraiths, who are themselves
F Any character who enters the gas-filled space rather powerful.
(the gas disperses at the end of the round) gains Grabbing the Key The most obvious route The wraiths fight to the death, but do not pursue
insubstantial and phasing until the end of is to reach in and snatch the key. Doing so triggers the characters who leave this room. If the characters flee
his next turn. Such a character can then rush ensnaring circle’s attack (see above). The ensnaring and then return, they find the wraiths waiting for
through the circle, snatch the key, and return circle attacks whether the character reaches in with them.
with a successful DC 17 Acrobatics check. If the his or her hand or a tool.
check fails, the circle attacks the character as
described above.
17
Encounter 6: Hall Perception Check

DC 11: The character spots the magic key resting
of Stone Warriors between the demon statue’s feet.
Encounter Level 1 (500 XP) 20 Stone Warriors (W) Level 1 Minion Brute
Medium natural animate (construct) XP 25 each
Setup HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion. Initiative –2
20 stone warriors (W) AC 13, Fortitude 15, Reflex 10, Will 12 Perception +0
Speed 5 (cannot shift) Darkvision
Immune disease, poison
A magic key rests in the bottom chamber. Between it
Traits
and the adventurers, however, is a veritable army of Dormant
stone warriors. A stone warrior becomes dormant whenever it starts its turn
adjacent to no enemies. While dormant, the stone warrior
When the adventurers enter the area, place the can’t take standard, move, or minor actions and is immune to
appropriate tiles and read the following text necrotic, poison, and psychic damage, forced movement, all
aloud: conditions, and ongoing damage. Also, the stone warrior has
resist 10 to all damage.
The short corridor opens into an antechamber lit by two
Standard Actions
burning braziers which fill the room with thick, noxious
m Slam F At-Will
smoke. Frescoes on the walls depict a great slaughter. Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +6 vs. AC
Hit: 5 damage, and the stone warrior pushes the target 1
The frescoes are the only warning the heroes will square.
receive before having to face the stone warriors in the Triggered Actions
room beyond. M Stone Grip F At-Will (1/round)
Trigger: An enemy enters a square adjacent to a dormant stone
warrior.
When the adventurers enter the chamber, place
Attack (Free Action): Melee 1 (triggering enemy); +3 vs. Reflex
the appropriate tiles and tokens. Then read the
Hit: 3 damage, and the target is grabbed (escape DC 12).
following text aloud: Effect: The stone warrior is not dormant.
A large chamber opens before you. Standing at attention Str 17 (+3) Dex 7 (–2) Wis 10 (+0)
are some twenty statues, each carved to depict a fearsome Con 17 (+3) Int 3 (–4) Cha 3 (–4)
bugbear warrior. Behind them stands a hideous statue Alignment unaligned Languages —
depicting some kind of beaked and winged demon.
Go ahead and call for initiative from the players while

rolling initiative for the stone warriors.
18
Tactics Features of the Area

The stone warriors are dormant at the encounter’s Illumination: Both the antechamber and the
start. They use stone grip as soon as a creature enters a statue room are brightly lit. Light shines from two
square adjacent to them. To keep track of which con- braziers in the former, while the green f lames burn-
structs have used that power each round, place a die ing in the demonic statue’s hand are the source in
or other marker on each stone warrior when it uses the latter.
stone grip. Remove all of the markers at the start of the Frescoes: The antechamber’s walls feature intri-
warriors’ turn. cate frescoes depicting stone warriors marching
When it is the stone warrior’s turn to act, only toward humans, trampling them underfoot and pull-
those stone warriors already adjacent to a creature ing them apart with their carved hands.
can make slam attacks. Characters hit by these attacks Demon Statue: On the statue room’s far side
might be pushed into squares adjacent to other stone stands a grotesque statue of a demon. A DC 20
warriors, thus triggering their stone grip attacks. Arcana check identifies the demon as a vrock, a
type of powerful fiend that soars through the Abyss’s
skies. Between its feet rests a magic key on a bed of
600 sp. The statue’s two eyes are amethysts (each
worth 100 gp).
19
Encounter 7: When a character touches a statuette or speaks its Dretch

Small elemental humanoid (demon)
Level 2 Brute
XP 125
name aloud, the object disappears. Place the monster
The Crystal Pedestal in one of the room’s four corners and call for initiative
HP 44; Bloodied 22
Initiative +3
Perception +1
checks. IXAM releases a dretch, ALRASTIL releases Speed 5 Darkvision
Encounter Level 3 (750 XP) the dust devil, PENTUKO releases the ochre jelly, Resist 10 variable (1/encounter)
and MYRG releases the specter. If the creature was
Setup released by touching the statuette, the creature gains
Traits
O Sickening Miasma F Aura 1
1 dretch a +1 bonus to attack rolls and a +2 bonus to damage Each enemy within the aura takes 1 damage whenever it takes
1 dust devil rolls until the end of its first turn. If the creature was a standard action or a move action. Multiple sickening miasma
1 ochre jelly released by speaking its name, it takes a –1 penalty to auras deal cumulative damage, up to 5 damage.
1 specter Standard Actions
attack rolls and a –2 penalty to damage rolls until the
m Savage Claws F At-Will
end of its first turn. Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +5 vs. AC
The characters reach this chamber via the ladder If the characters take a short rest after defeating a Hit: 2d6 + 2 damage.
which drops through the sarcophagus in Encounter creature, the creature they defeated reappears atop Triggered Actions
3. The ladder deposits the characters in the northwest the pedestal and must be called again. The characters M Frenzy of Claws F Encounter
corner of this room. earn no additional XP for defeating the same creature Trigger: The dretch is first bloodied.
more than once. Effect (Free Action): The dretch attacks one or two creatures
When the characters enter this room and can with savage claws.
see their surroundings, place the appropriate R Vile Death (poison, zone) F Encounter
Arcana Check
tiles and read the following text aloud: Trigger: The dretch drops to 0 hit points.
DC 9: The character identifies the IXAM statuette Effect: Close burst 1 (any nondemons in the burst). The burst
A dais dominates the chamber’s middle area. On it stands as a dretch and the ALRASTIL statuette as a dust devil. creates a zone of poison centered on the dretch that lasts
a horrid statue that was carved to resemble a corpulent DC 13: The character detects a magical aura ema- until what would be the start of the dretch’s next turn. Any
demon boasting an idiotic grin. It raises a crystal pedestal nating from the statuettes at the pedestal’s top. nondemon that enters the zone or starts its turn there takes
in both clawed hands. At the top are four tiny statues each DC 17: The character realizes what happens when 5 poison damage.
gripping one part of a blue metal bar. a statuette is touched or its name is spoken aloud. Str 17 (+4) Dex 14 (+3) Wis 11 (+1)
Con 14 (+3) Int 5 (–2) Cha 7 (–1)
DC 20: The character realizes that speaking the
When a character inspects the tiny statues, read name brings forth a momentarily weaker version of
Alignment chaotic evil Languages Abyssal
the following text aloud: the creature.
Each of the four statues gripping the key is unique and
bears an inscription. The first depicts a squat, flabby demon Nature Check
carved from red stone with the word “IXAM” on a plate DC 9: The character identifies the PENTUKO
below. The next looks like a cloud made from clay with statuette as an ochre jelly.
“ALRASTIL” below it. The third says “PENTUKO” and
features an amorphous blob carved from amber. The fourth Religion Check
is made from glass, and it shows a humanoid form labeled DC 9: The character identifies the MYRG statuette
“MYRG.” as a specter.
20
Dust Devil Level 3 Skirmisher Ochre Jelly Level 3 Elite Brute Specter Level 4 Lurker
Small fey humanoid (air, earth) XP 150 Large natural beast (blind, ooze) XP 300 Medium shadow humanoid (undead) XP 175
AC 18, Fortitude 14, Reflex 16, Will 14; –2 to all defenses AC 15, Fortitude 16, Reflex 14, Will 14 Perception +2 AC 16, Fortitude 16, Reflex 16, Will 17 Perception +6
while slowed or immobilized Perception +0 Speed 4, climb 4 Blindsight Speed fly 6 (hover); phasing Darkvision
Speed 8 Immune blinded, gaze effects; Resist 5 acid Immune disease, poison; Resist 10 necrotic, insubstantial;
Immune disease, poison Saving Throws +2; Action Points 1 Vulnerable 5 radiant
Standard Actions Traits Traits
m Grasping Winds F At-Will Ooze O Spectral Chill (cold) F Aura 1
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. Reflex While squeezing, the ooze moves at full speed rather than Each enemy within the aura takes a –2 penalty to all defenses.
Hit: 1d10 + 3 damage, and the dust devil slides the target 2 half speed, it doesn’t take the –5 penalty to attack rolls, and it Standard Actions
squares. doesn’t grant combat advantage for squeezing. m Spectral Touch (necrotic) F At-Will
C Stinging Sands F Encounter Standard Actions Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +7 vs. Reflex
Attack: Close burst 3 (creatures in the burst); +8 vs. Fortitude m Slam (acid) F At-Will Hit: 1d6 + 2 necrotic damage.
Hit: 3d6 + 3 damage, and the target is blinded until the end of Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. AC C Spectral Barrage (illusion, psychic) F Recharge 5 6
the dust devil’s next turn. Hit: 2d6 + 1 damage, and ongoing 5 acid damage (save ends). Attack: Close burst 2 (enemies in the burst); +7 vs. Will
Move Actions Move Actions Hit: 2d6 + 2 psychic damage, and the target falls prone.
M Gale Blast F Recharge 5 6 Flowing Form F At-Will Invisibility (illusion) F At-Will
Effect: The dust devil shifts 5 squares and attacks each enemy Effect: The ochre jelly shifts up to 4 squares. Effect: The specter becomes invisible until it hits or misses with
adjacent to It (one attack per creature). Triggered Actions an attack.
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. Fortitude Split F Encounter Skills Stealth +9
Hit: The target falls prone. Trigger: The ochre jelly becomes bloodied. Str 10 (+2) Dex 15 (+4) Wis 8 (+1)
Skills Stealth +10 Effect (No Action): The jelly splits into two creatures, each with Con 13 (+3) Int 6 (+0) Cha 15 (+4)
Str 8 (+0) Dex 18 (+5) Wis 8 (+0) hit points equal to one-half its current hit points. Effects on Alignment chaotic evil Languages Common
Con 15 (+3) Int 5 (–2) Cha 15 (+3) the original ochre jelly do not apply to the second one.
Alignment unaligned Languages Primordial Str 13 (+2) Dex 8 (+0) Wis 12 (+2)
Con 11 (+1) Int 1 (–4) Cha 1 (–4)
21
Tactics
The called monsters fight to the death. They do not
follow characters who leave the room.
Dretch: The dretch charges the nearest creature
and slashes at enemies using its savage claws. Don’t
forget its triggered actions: frenzy of claws when first
bloodied and vile death when dropped to 0 hit points.
Dust Devil: The dust devil flies about the room
using gale blast and smashes its enemies using grasping
winds. When it can catch three or more characters, it
uses stinging sands.
Ochre Jelly: This horror uses f lowing form each
round, smashing a different hero each round with
slam. Remember that it splits when it becomes
bloodied.
Specter: The specter uses invisibility when it first
appears and then moves into position to set up its spec-
tral barrage attack. Until this power recharges, it either
uses invisibility again to escape a defender or spectral
touch to attack.
Features of the Area

Ceiling: The ceiling is 15 feet high.
Illumination: This room is dark.
Treasure: Defeating all four creatures releases the
magic key.
22
Encounter 8: When the characters enter this room, place the Roleplaying the Ghost
appropriate tiles and read the following text
Although Anarus is both insane and evil, all he really
Ghostly aloud:
wants is revenge against Traevus for murdering him.
Skeletal warriors, some in wretched condition, stand at the
Necromancer ready in this massive chamber. They raise swords and bows
If the heroes get him talking, he readily reveals every-
thing about how Traevus murdered him and stole
Encounter Level 6 (1,300 XP) to protect the ghostly form of a headless humanoid dressed
his skull. After he has told this whole, sorry tale, he
in long, flowing robes. Despite its lack of a head, the ghost
attacks. Traevus will deny everything, of course, if
Setup cackles when you enter, greeting you with madness.
he’s present, and urge the characters to attack imme-
Ghost of Anarus Kalton (G) “Thieves!” it laughs, its voice echoing throughout the
diately. During the fight, Anarus cackles and shrieks,
2 bonewretch skeletons (B) room. “I thank you for releasing me from prison. Your
mocking the heroes when they miss and cursing them
3 skeletons (S) reward will be death!”
when they hit.
8 decrepit skeletons (D) If the characters learn the truth about Traevus
Place the tokens for each creature in the room except
from Anarus, there is one way they can avoid this
After Traevus murdered Anarus, the necromancer’s for the bonewretch skeletons, who are hiding. When
fight—that is, if they grab Traevus, shove him into the
ghost appeared in his treasure vault where he stored the bonewretch skeletons take their first turn or are
room, and retreat immediately to the previous cham-
his most prized possessions. The violet curtain he spotted, place them on the map.
ber. Anarus and his undead servants will tear Traevus
had painstakingly created, however, bound him to If Traevus is with the heroes, the ghost and skel-
to pieces. Anarus then retrieves his head in triumph,
this chamber as surely as it kept thieves out. The long etons attack. If he isn’t, a quick-witted adventurer
places it on his shoulders, and fades into the lower sar-
months since his death have given him only mindless might try to negotiate with the insane spirit. A DC 17
cophagus. At that point, Anarus and all of the other
undead for company, and the long silence has driven Diplomacy check stays the ghost’s attack for at least
undead in the room except the decrepit skeletons
him insane. a moment (see “Roleplaying the Ghost”). Otherwise,
collapse into harmless bones. Characters must still
The characters can access this room only by assem- roll for initiative and record the players’ initiative.
defeat the decrepit skeletons when they return to the
bling the four magic rods and placing the key into the chamber, but they earn full XP for overcoming the
violet mist. At that point, the rectangular contraption encounter.
expands to become a doorway leading into this room.
Perception Check
DC 23: The character spots a bonewretch skeleton
hiding behind a sarcophagus. A bonewretch skeleton
looks like an ordinary skeleton but smaller—about 3
feet tall.
23
Ghost of Anarus Kalton Level 3 Elite Controller A Spirit Swarm (necrotic, psychic) F Encounter 2 Bonewretch Skeletons (B) Level 4 Skirmisher
Medium shadow humanoid (undead) XP 300 Small natural animate (undead) XP 175 each
Attack: Area burst 1 within 10 (enemies in the burst); +7 vs.
HP 74; Bloodied 37 Initiative +2 HP 55; Bloodied 27 Initiative +10
Fortitude
AC 17, Fortitude 13, Reflex 16, Will 15 Perception +0 AC 18, Fortitude 16, Reflex 20, Will 16 Perception +5
Hit: The target is immobilized and takes ongoing 5 necrotic
Speed 6, fly 6; phasing Darkvision Speed 8 Darkvision
damage (save ends both).
Immune disease, poison; Resist insubstantial Immune disease, poison; Resist 10 necrotic; Vulnerable 5
Each Failed Saving Throw: The target takes 5 psychic damage.
Saving Throws +2; Action Points 1 radiant
Miss: 5 necrotic damage.
Standard Actions Triggered Actions Standard Actions
m Rotting Touch (necrotic) F At-Will m Ankle Bite F At-Will
C Visage Revealed (fear, psychic) F Encounter
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +7 vs. Reflex Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +9 vs. AC
Trigger: The ghost is first bloodied.
Hit: 1d6 + 3 necrotic damage, and the target takes a –2 penalty Hit: 1d6 + 6 damage, and the target is slowed until the end of
Attack (Immediate Reaction): Close blast 5 (enemies in the blast);
to attack rolls until the end of the ghost’s next turn. the bonewretch skeleton’s next turn
+7 vs. Will
R Shadow Darts (necrotic) F At-Will Move Actions
Hit: 1d6 + 3 psychic damage, and the target is dazed (save
Attack: Ranged 5 (one or two creatures); +7 vs. Fortitude C Rattling Shift F At-Will
ends).
Hit: 1d6 + 3 necrotic damage, and the target grants combat The bonewretch skeleton shifts up to 4 squares, ignoring dif-
Miss: Half damage.
advantage until the end of the ghost’s next turn. ficult terrain.
Ephemeral Ghost (illusion) F At-Will
R Spirit Flay (charm, necrotic) F Recharge 6 Skills Stealth +13
Trigger: An enemy misses the ghost with a melee or ranged
Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); +7 vs. Will Str 11 (+2) Dex 22 (+8) Wis 14 (+4)
attack.
Hit: The target is dominated and takes ongoing 5 necrotic Con 15 (+4) Int 6 (+0) Cha 6 (+0)
Effect (Immediate Reaction): The ghost becomes invisible until
damage (save ends both). Alignment chaotic evil Languages —
the start of its next turn. After becoming invisible, the ghost
Miss: The target is dazed (save ends).
then shifts up to 3 squares.
C Unraveling Doom (necrotic, psychic) F At-Will 3 Skeletons (S) Level 3 Soldier
Skills Arcana +9, Intimidate +8, Stealth +7
Attack: Close blast 2 (enemies in the blast); +7 vs. Will Medium natural animate (undead) XP 150 each
Str 8 (+0) Dex 12 (+2) Wis 9 (+0)
Hit: 1d6 + 3 necrotic and psychic damage, and the target HP 45; Bloodied 22 Initiative +6
Con 11 (+1) Int 17 (+4) Cha 14 (+3)
gains vulnerable 3 to all damage until the end of the AC 19, Fortitude 15, Reflex 16, Will 15 Perception +3
Alignment chaotic evil Languages Common
ghost’s next turn. Speed 6 Darkvision
radiant
Traits
Speed of the Dead
When making an opportunity attack, a skeleton gains a +2
bonus to the attack roll and deals 1d6 extra damage.
Standard Actions
m Longsword (weapon) F At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. AC
Hit: 1d8 + 5 damage, and the target is marked until the end of
the skeleton’s next turn.
Str 15 (+3) Dex 17 (+4) Wis 14 (+3)
Con 13 (+2) Int 3 (–3) Cha 3 (–3)
Equipment longsword
24
8 Decrepit Skeletons (D) Level 1 Minion Skirmisher

Medium natural animate (undead) XP 25 each
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion.
Initiative +3
Speed 6 Darkvision
radiant
Standard Actions
m Longsword (weapon) F At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +6 vs. AC
Hit: 4 damage.
R Shortbow (weapon) F At-Will
Attack: Ranged 15/30 (one creature); +6 vs. AC
Hit: 4 damage.
Str 15 (+2) Dex 17 (+3) Wis 14 (+2)
Con 13 (+1) Int 3 (–4) Cha 3 (–4)
Equipment longsword, shortbow, 20 arrows
Tactics
Unless Traevus is handed over, Anarus Kalton vents
all his pent-up wrath on the characters and throws
everything he and his henchmen have into destroy-
ing them. Bonewretch Skeletons: These skeletons move to Features of the Area
Ghost: Anarus hangs back, letting his skeletons engage front rank characters, using ankle bite on their
Ceiling: The ceiling is 15 feet high.
bear the brunt of the attack, while he attacks with first turns. After that, they use rattling shift to slip past
Illumination: The violet curtain fills the room
spirit swarm. He then spends an action point to use defenders and hit controllers and strikers.
with dim light.
spirit flay against a striker whom he can manipulate Skeletons: The skeletons hold the heroes back,
Sarcophagi: Two blank-lidded sarcophagi rest
with great effect. He orders dominated characters to moving to block their advance, relying on speed of the
near the room’s center. The sarcophagi grant cover to
attack the party’s leaders. While waiting for spirit flay dead to augment their opportunity attacks.
creatures standing behind them.
to recharge, he flies about the room, using shadow Decrepit Skeletons: These minions hold their
These boxes were made as expansions to the
darts against the nearest character he can hit. If positions in the alcoves, supporting their allies using
tomb but no dead were ever entombed within them.
reduced to 16 hp or less, Anarus flees through the shortbow each round until engaged in melee, at which
Instead, Anarus stashed his most precious belongings
open portal by the safest route available. He does not point they shift away to continue their barrage.
inside. The top sarcophagus holds a +2 amulet of pro-
pause to lock the heroes in but just rushes out, per- tection, 2 small onyx stones worth 100 gp each, and a
haps to trouble the adventurers later. brown pouch containing 90 gp.
25
The bottom sarcophagus holds the Anarusi Codex Anarusi Codex +2 Level 10 Rare Shuffling Zombie Level —
Small or Medium natural animate (undead) XP —
(see below), a pair of hedge wizard’s gloves (Adven- What secrets are contained in this dread volume? What
HP your bloodied value Initiative —
turer’s Vault page 135), a potion of healing, and 20 horrors will be awakened by reading its befouled pages?
Defenses your defenses Perception —
gp scattered across the bottom. These coins were Implement (Tome)
Speed 4
minted during the time of King Elidyr of Nerath. Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical: +2d6 necrotic damage and the target is weakened Immune disease, poison
If the players have the “Dark Secrets Revealed” or until the end of your next turn Standard Actions
“Weird Lights on the Moor” quests, they also dis- Property: When you use a wizard spell with this tome as its m Bash (weapon) F At-Will
cover 170 gp. implement, you can change the damage type to necrotic. If Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); Intelligence + 2 vs. AC
you do so, the spell gains the necrotic keyword. Hit: 6 damage.
Property: When you use this tome as an implement, you treat
Anarusi Codex all allies as enemies until the end of your next turn.
M Grab (weapon) F At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); Intelligence vs. Reflex
This wicked tome compiles all of Anarus Kalton’s dis- Power (Daily F Summoning): Free Action. Trigger: When using
this tome as your implement, you drop a Small or Medium Hit: 3 damage, and the target is grabbed (escape DC equals
coveries, theories, and filthy incantations. The cover your Will).
enemy to 0 hit points with an implement attack power.
is charred skin stretched taught over wooden boards. That enemy must not be a construct, ooze, or plant. Effect: Move Actions
The vellum pages are sticky with unspeakable stains; You summon a shuffling zombie (see below) in the target’s Move F At-Will
the writing is scrawled in red ink, and is accompanied space. The shuffling zombie is an ally to you and your allies. Effect: The zombie stands up, crawls or shifts 1, or climbs or
The zombie lacks actions of its own. Instead, you spend
by strange diagrams and disturbing illustrations. walks its speed. It cannot run.
your own actions to allow the zombie to perform actions
The Anarusi Codex is a magical implement useable Triggered Actions
from its list. The zombie can perform the same type of ac-
Follow F At-Will
by wizards. Although powerful, the tome is stained tion which you spend commanding it. You can command it
to perform a standard, move, and minor action each turn. Trigger: The shuffling zombie is more than 10 squares from you
with dark magic and it tricks its user into believing
You must have line of effect to the zombie in order to com- when you end your turn.
that everyone is an enemy. mand it. Effect: As a free action, the zombie walks by the most direct
In addition to the features described below, the When the zombie makes an attack roll or any check, you route to the nearest unoccupied square that is within
Codex may also contain other dark rituals whose uses make the roll using your modifiers and scores. The zombie 10 squares of you. If the zombie must walk more than 8
has no healing surges.
are left to you to decide. squares to reach this square, it instead drops to 0 hit points.
The zombie cannot use weapons, implements, or any other
items.
A zombie remains in play until you take an extended rest, About the Author
you dismiss it (a minor action), or it drops to 0 hit points. Robert J. Schwalb is an award-winning game designer who
has contributed design to or developed over one hundred role-
playing game titles for Dungeons & Dragons®, Warhammer
Fantasy Roleplay, A Song of Ice and Fire RPG, Star WarsRPG, and
the d20 system. Some of his more recent work for Wizards of
the Coast can be found in Player’s Handbook 3, Martial Power 2,
and Draconomicon 2: Metallic Dragons and in the pages of both
Dragon and Dungeon magazines. Robert lives in Tennessee.
26
the
Dreamheart
By Bruce R. Cordell F illustration by Kristina Carroll
Raidon saw Japheth standing over the severed tentacle that

had clutched the artifact.
Raidon took a limping step toward the warlock. “Be Key of Stars:
careful,” he advised, “Don’t touch the . . .” Abolethic Sovereignty
The monk trailed off as Japheth turned slowly to face Book 3
him. The warlock held a dark, oblong object in both hands.
In the novel Plague of Spells, Raidon Kane discovered
“Drop it, now!” Raidon commanded, his voice shocked.
a uniquely powerful artifact that proved to be the
“We must destroy it!”
petrified eye of the Eldest aboleth. In City of Torment,
“No,” came Japheth’s voice, drenched in sorrow. “Not yet.
he managed to keep the Eldest from completely
It has Anusha’s mind. I must wake her. It is my fault she
waking, but at the cost of his own shattered mind.
couldn’t wake up! Her soul is trapped inside . . .”
In Key of Stars, destiny hands Raidon one last chance
“If you don’t release the stone, it will claim you, too,”
to avert the Sovereignty’s
replied Raidon. He sidled toward Angul’s f lickering
agenda, but only if he can
length.
find within himself the
Japheth ignored the monk. All of the warlock’s attention
strength to care. Raidon,
was on the stone. Japheth gazed into it as if it were a scrying
the warlock Japheth, and
ball. He chanted words slippery with magic.
Anusha, a young woman
“What are you doing? Stop, lest you disturb it further!”
whose dreams are made
Raidon yelled.
real, must find the Key
Japheth paid no mind. The warlock spoke into the stone
of Stars before all real-
with a voice augmented with magical tremolo, “Wake up!
it y drowns beneath a
Wake up! Anusha, if you’re in there, wake up! Ignore the
tide of mind shattering
thrice-damned elixir!”
revelations.
The Sign on Raidon’s chest fell in temperature so pre-
cipitously that the monk’s breath began to steam.
“Wake up!” Japheth yelled again with all the force of
an invocation.
27
The Dreamheart
The Dreamheart bucked in the warlock’s hand. The Dreamheart Dreamheart Paragon Level
It woke up. This oblong chunk of stone usually appears unimpressive to the
A seam on the stone parted; an eyelid shuttered open. The Eldest is the first and oldest aboleth of Faerûn eye. But on the plane of the mind, the Dreamheart is a scintil-
lating font of color, dreams, and endless possibilities. It is a
Raidon met the eye’s primordial stare. who seeped into the world before the war between beacon of power and a literal promise of incredible knowledge
It was like looking down on the clouds of some distant, the gods and primordials was concluded. The Eldest and dominance to any willing to listen. When the relic’s most
storm-tossed world, clouds that ringed a pupil empty as remained quiescent so long that its flesh became as potent power is channeled, a seam along the stone splits and an
death. eye blinks open. Through it, the Eldest aboleth looks out.
stone and its mind slowed to the speed of a glacier.
“Oh,” gasped Japheth. The Dreamheart is literally one of the Eldest’s many The Dreamheart is a +5 magic orb implement with the following
properties and powers.
Raidon took two more steps, plunged his arm into eyes, carved from its petrified flesh. Implement (Orb)
the water, and came up with the Blade Cerulean. It was Despite physical separation, the Dreamheart Enhancement: Attack rolls and damage rolls
the only tool capable of destroying the relic. He whirled, remains psionically linked to its progenitor. Anyone Critical: +5d10 damage
charged, yelling “Release it!” Property: Clerics and warlocks can use the Dreamheart as an
who wields the Dreamheart is influenced by it. The
implement for cleric and warlock powers, and cleric and
“No,” replied Japheth. “I’ll not abandon Anusha so wielder sees phantasms of glory that are sometimes warlock paragon path powers, respectively.
easily.” terrifying, sometimes unearthly in their beauty. Property: You gain a +5 item bonus to Athletics and Endurance
The great eye blinked. The darkness in the pupil’s center Visions of antediluvian events, words of primeval checks.
rushed out, seemed to billow and inf late the warlock’s cloak Power (Encounter F Arcane, Charm, Implement, Psychic):
malice, and swirling images of a churning void and
Standard Action. You can use mesmeric hold (wizard 13). Use
with a malign influence all its own. atonal vibrations invade the wielder’s sleeping and your highest ability modifier from Intelligence, Wisdom, or
Japheth stepped backward into the darkness and was sometimes waking mind. Charisma for the attack. If every target of the attack is an
gone. The more the Dreamheart is used, the more aberration, this power is not expended for the encounter.
Power (Encounter F Arcane): Standard Action. You can use
likely something untoward happens to the wielder.
eye of the warlock (warlock 16).
Simultaneously, the dreams of the Eldest are jostled Power (Daily F Arcane, Charm, Implement, Psychic): Stan-
whenever power is channeled from the artifact, dard Action. You can use confusion (wizard 27). Use your
which risks briefly rousing the creature from its eons- highest ability modifier from Intelligence, Wisdom, or Cha-
risma for the attack. If the target of the attack is an aberra-
long sleep.
tion, this power is not expended for the day.
A creature of the Far Realm sent to colonize Power (Daily F Arcane): Minor Action. You throw caution
reality, the Eldest broods over a city of its abolethic to the wind and compel the eye to open! See “Eye of the
children. Should it finally wake fully, it will take it as Eldest” below to resolve the effect. The Dreamheart then
vanishes and is lost (see “Moving On” below).
a sign that the time is finally right. It will set about
tearing wide the walls of the world so that the mad-
ness of the Far Realm can drown everything in a tide
of unceasing madness.
28
The Dreamheart
Goals of the Dreamheart Concordance

F Suborn wielders to take up the star pact to serve Unlike most artifacts, the Dreamheart functions at full
the Eldest power, as if with full concordance, for any creature
F Wake the Eldest aboleth that can use it as an implement. Using the artifact’s
F Shatter the walls of the world and so leave it encounter and daily powers does involve some risk.
naked to the influence of the Far Realm At the end of a turn when the wielder used any of the
Dreamheart’s encounter or daily powers, roll a d20.
Roleplaying If a 1 is rolled, the eye in the stone opens of its own
the Dreamheart accord; see “Eye of the Eldest” below to resolve the
The Dreamheart communicates through dreams. effect. The Dreamheart then vanishes and is lost (see
It projects the barest hints of eldritch secrets into “Moving On” below).
the wielder’s mind, as well as images of the wielder
enjoying the fruits of vast power after learning Moving On
further forbidden lore. The Dreamheart tempts its “The darkness in the pupil’s center rushes out. The Dream-
wielder solely through the great power it offers, heart falls into that darkness, and is gone.”
apparently free for the asking. The evil of the Dream-
heart is not active but rather a slow, seeping inf luence The Dreamheart was only recently plucked from the
of corruption. Its agency replies upon the greed and Eldest’s body. As such, the artifact has no storied past;
suggestibility of someone already foolish enough it has only passed through a handful of wielders. Each
to take up and wield a petrified piece of an evil time a wielder consciously or accidentally causes the
proto-deity. eye to shutter open, the Eldest aboleth wakes to a light
Warlocks who use the Dreamheart are compelled doze and makes some change to the world, before
to shift to the star pact if that is not already their slipping back into deeper slumber. However, one day
pact. Clerics who use the Dreamheart are compelled the Eldest’s eye will not shut. On that day, the Eldest
over a period of weeks to revere the Eldest as if it was will fully rouse, and the Abolethic Sovereignty will
their deity. come into its own.
29
The Dreamheart
Eye of the Eldest down into the mind of the Eldest in the abolethic city scattering of ancient, dying stars yet burn. The extra
of Xxiphu. dimensional space is separate from the world or other
If the eye of the Dreamheart opens, refer to the table planes of existence and lasts for 8 hours. At the end of
below. Regardless of what else happens, the Dream- Scourge of Kuo-Toa 8 hours, the mote dissolves, and you and all creatures
heart vanishes as described under “Moving On.” Effect (Immediate Reaction): Two kuo-toa lashes in the space reappear in the squares where you were
(Monster Manual 3 page 125) appear in adjacent, before the timespace sojourn.
Eye of the Eldest Table empty squares within 10 squares of you. The kuo- At that point, 8 hours have passed for you, but the
Trigger: The wielder purposefully opens the Dreamheart eye or
rolls a 1 on a d20 after using a Dreamheart power during the toas begin play under your command and act on DM determines how much time has passed in the
turn. your initiative. You must spend a standard action world. It may be that no time at all passed from where
2d6 Effect each turn to sustain the effect. If you fail to do so, you and when this effect was triggered, that 8 hours
2 Trapped In Xxiphu lose control of the kuo-toas and they become your passed, or that some longer period of days, months, or
3-4 Scourge of Kuo-Toa
enemies until they are defeated. At the end of the years has elapsed.
5-9 Comes the Sovereignty
encounter or when the kuo-toas are defeated, they (or
10-11
12
Timespace Sojourn
Behold the Tyrant
their bodies) disappear. Behold the Tyrant
Effect (Immediate Reaction): A beholder eye of
Trapped In Xxiphu Comes the Sovereignty shadow (Monster Manual 3 page 22) appears in an
Effect (Immediate Reaction): The Dreamheart Effect (Immediate Reaction): An aboleth overseer empty space within 10 squares of you. If that space
immediately Moves On, and you fall unconscious (Monster Manual page 8) appears in an empty square gives the eye of shadow superior cover or total con-
and cannot be awakened. Your soul has been sucked within 10 squares of you. The aboleth begins play cealment, it can make an immediate Stealth check to
under your command and acts on your initiative. become hidden. The beholder begins play under your
You must spend a standard action each turn to sus- command and acts on your initiative. You must spend
Major Quest: Free the Soul tain the effect. If you fail to do so, you lose control a full round action (a minor, a move, and standard
The remaining characters must find Xxiphu and enter
of the aboleth and it becomes your enemy until it is action) each turn to sustain the effect. If you fail to
it to release your bound soul. Xxiphu may be deep
defeated. At the end of the encounter, when 5 min- do so, you lose control of the beholder and it becomes
beneath the earth, on another plane, or hovering ten
miles over the Sea of Fallen Stars and guarded by utes have passed, or when the aboleth is defeated, it your enemy until it is defeated. At the end of the
gravity-defying kraken and aboleth overseers. Your soul (or its body) disappears. encounter, when 5 minutes have passed, or when the
is trapped within the stratified memories of the Eldest, beholder is defeated, it (or its body) disappears.
which manifests as a wall of icelike crystal deep inside Timespace Sojourn
Xxiphu. If the ice is shattered, your soul is released and Effect (Immediate Reaction): A soundless explo- About the Author
you regain consciousness. Bruce R. Cordell is an Origins and ENnie award-winning
sion of purple light tears a hole in reality in an empty game designer whose long list of professional credits include
Ask your DM to allow you to create a temporary
square adjacent to you. You and your allies within the new Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, Keep on the Shadow
character to play until your trapped character is
10 squares of you are pulled into the maw like flies fell, Draconomicon I: Chromatic Dragons, and Open Grave:
found and released. If your original character is finally Secrets of the Undead. Bruce is also an author of Forgotten
released, transfer any XP gained by your temporary on a frog’s tongue. You find yourself in an empty,
Realms novels, including Plague of Spells, the first book in the
character to your original character, in addition to any extradimensional space that is a mote of eroded stone Abolethic Sovereignty series.
XP earned from the quest. 5 squares wide and 5 squares long. The mote appears
Quest XP: 16,000 XP to float in an infinite vault of darkness in which only a
30
Editor’s Note: This article kicks off a new feature in
Dragon and Dungeon magazines. “Unearthed Arcana”
will explore topics which aren’t easily incorporated into
the formal structure of the Dungeons & Dragons
game, replace existing rules with variants, or extend the
game in other unofficial, experimental ways. For more on
“Unearthed Arcana,” see this month’s Dragon editorial.
Curses are a traditional element of fantasy stories, leg-

ends, and myths. The princess is cursed to sleep until
rescued. A titan lashes out with his death curse as
he is killed. The devil curses a mortal to spill worms
from his mouth if he tries to speak of their bargain.
Until the hero can overcome the curse, he or she must
struggle beneath its weight.
This article focuses on curses that impede the
subject’s daily habits and pursuit of goals. Larger
curses are a matter of story arcs, or entire campaigns,
such as the kingdom cursed to remain under a rain-
cloud until the young prince consents to marry the
hideous sorceress.
Curses use the same rules as diseases once a
creature has been cursed. A curse has a track simi-
lar to the disease track. A cursed creature makes
an Arcana, Nature, or Religion check after each
extended rest to determine the character’s progres-
sion on the curse track. The relevant skill varies
based on what is thematic for the curse: a wizard’s
curse requires Arcana; a forest spirit’s curse requires
Nature; an angel’s divine curse requires Religion.
Unearthed Arcana A cursed character cannot be cured by successful

use of the appropriate skill. Most curses end when
Curses (Foiled Again)

certain conditions are met, either relative to the
target or in some absolute terms. Included with each
curse is a suggested end condition. Individualizing
end conditions to a specific game or plot makes the
By Peter Schaefer curse more engaging. The Remove Affliction ritual is
Illustration by Kent Williams
TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved. S e p t e m b e r 2 010 | D u n g e o n 18 2
31
another method for removing curses on a character. Fire’s Foe Curse Level 5 Curse Satyr’s Dancing Curse Level 6 Curse
Sometimes, the creature that applied the curse can The defeated spellcaster stares at you with hatred. “Beware “Your feet will want to dance,” the satyr had said. Whenever
remove it. flame henceforth—you will attract it until you become a walk- you lose control, you begin to sway and move to a rhythm only
ing inferno.” you can hear.
Stage 1: While affected by stage 1, the target takes an Stage 1: While affected by stage 1, the target slides 1 square
Example Curses additional 5 fire damage when targeted by a fire effect. in a random direction when the target starts his or her
Stage 2: While affected by stage 2, the target takes ongoing turn dazed.
5 fire damage while within 1 square of a fire effect (save Stage 2: While affected by stage 2, the target slides 2 squares
Forestfoe Curse Level 4 Curse
ends). in a random direction when the target starts his or her
The sprightly forest spirit looks down from a branch high Stage 3: While affected by stage 3, the target takes ongoing 5 turn dazed.
above. “You are no longer welcome in Father Burl’s domain! fire damage when targeted by a fire effect (save ends). The Stage 3: While affected by stage 3, the target slides 4 squares
Wheresoever you walk, the forest will trip you, tug at your target takes 5 fire damage when an adjacent creature is the in a random direction when the target starts his or her
clothes, and cast you down!” target of a fire effect. The target takes 5 fire damage if it turn dazed.
Stage 1: While affected by stage 1, squares adjacent to a tree ends its turn adjacent to any fire the size of a candle flame Check: At the end of each extended rest, the target makes a
are difficult terrain for the target, and travel through forests or larger. Arcana check if he or she is at stage 1, 2, or 3.
and wooded terrain takes the target twice as long. Check: At the end of each extended rest, the target makes an 10 or lower: The stage of the curse increases by one.
Stage 2: While affected by stage 2, squares within 3 squares Arcana check if he or she is at stage 1, 2, or 3. 11–13: No change.
of a tree are difficult terrain for the target, and travel 9 or lower: The stage of the curse increases by one. 14 or higher: The stage of the curse decreases by one (if at
through forests and wooded terrain takes the target twice 10–14: No change. stage 1, no change occurs).
as long. 15 or higher: The stage of the curse decreases by one (if at Ending the Curse: The target saves the life of a satyr or wins a
Stage 3: While affected by stage 3, squares within 5 squares of stage 1, no change occurs). kiss from an eladrin princess.
a tree are difficult terrain for the target, and travel through Ending the Curse: The target is granted clemency by a fire
forests and wooded terrain takes the target twice as long. archon or a natural spirit of fire.
Additionally, when the target is hit by an attack while in
such a square, he or she is knocked prone.
Check: At the end of each extended rest, the target makes a
Nature check if he or she is at stage 1, 2, or 3.
9 or lower: The stage of the curse increases by one.
10–13: No change.
14 or higher: The stage of the curse decreases by one (if at
stage 1, no change occurs).
Ending the Curse: A spirit of the forest chooses to release the
target from the curse.
32
Speechbane Curse Level 8 Curse Curse of Rage Level 12 Curse Curse of Isolation Level 16 Curse
You’ ve learned what you sought to learn, but the warlock has You weren’t sure what the spirit of corrupted nature had The priest spoke these words to you only minutes ago: “You
the last words on that subject. “You will find it impossible to meant when it promised you that even your allies would come choose not to see the inevitable. Perhaps, if you cannot see and
pass on the knowledge you just gained, fool.” to know you as an enemy. As you strike at your ally with un- hear the life around you, you will have time to think about
In all three stages, when the target tries to communicate controllable rage, however, it becomes tragically clear. your choice.”
about a subject forbidden by the curse-giver, the target Stage 1: While affected by stage 1, when the target starts his Stage 1: While affected by stage 1, the target takes a -5
begins vomiting maggots until the target stops trying to or her next turn after taking a critical hit, he or she makes penalty on Insight and Perception checks and on passive
communicate about the forbidden subject. Additional a melee basic attack or a charge attack against the nearest Insight and Perception.
effects are noted below. valid ally. Stage 2: While affected by stage 2, roll one die after each
Stage 1: The target is stunned until the end of the turn when Stage 2: While affected by stage 2 and while the target is extended rest and short rest. On an even roll, the target
he or she stops trying to communicate about the forbidden bloodied, he or she makes a melee basic attack or a charge is blinded until the next rest. On an odd roll, the target is
subject. attack against the nearest valid ally at the start of the deafened until the next rest.
Stage 2: The target is stunned (save ends). target’s turn. Stage 3: While affected by stage 3, the target is blinded and
Stage 3: The target is stunned and takes ongoing 10 damage Stage 3: While affected by stage 3, when the target starts deafened.
(save ends both). his or her next turn after being hit by an attack, he or she Check: At the end of each extended rest, the target makes a
Check: At the end of each extended rest, the target makes an makes a melee basic attack or a charge attack against the Religion check if he or she is at stage 1, 2, or 3.
Arcana check if he or she is at stage 1, 2, or 3. nearest valid ally. 15 or lower: The stage of the curse increases by one.
11 or lower: The stage of the curse increases by one. Check: At the end of each extended rest, the target makes a 16–21: No change.
12–15: No change. Nature check if he or she is at stage 1, 2, or 3. 22 or higher: The stage of the curse decreases by one (if at
16 or higher: The stage of the curse decreases by one (if at 13 or lower: The stage of the curse increases by one. stage 1, no change occurs).
stage 1, no change occurs). 14–19: No change. Ending the Curse: The target goes a year and a day without
Ending the Curse: The target goes a year and a day without 20 or higher: The stage of the curse decreases by one (if at seeing or hearing any creature, or the target consumes the
speaking, or consumes food prepared by the creature that stage 1, no change occurs). eye of a beholder.
placed the curse. Ending the Curse: The target slays the creature that placed
the curse or permanently ends a violent threat against a
peaceful community.
33
Curse of Angelic Torment Level 19 Curse Death Titan’s Curse Level 25 Curse
Time slows. With a dozen wounds dripping divine blood, the The last of the death titan’s captured soul flies from his grasp,
angel looks at you, and you feel your soul resound with the and he falls to his knees. With his last breath, he utters, “Let
promise of infinite torment. even the slightest touch bring you great pain.”
Stage 1: While affected by stage 1, a silver mask of the angel’s The target of the Death Titan’s Curse feels intense pain when
face appears near the target unpredictably, speaking any other creature is adjacent. Additional effects are
uncomfortable truths and making dire predictions. noted below.
Stage 2: While affected by stage 2, a silver mask of the angel’s Stage 1: While affected by stage 1, the target gains vulnerable
face appears near the target unpredictably, speaking 5 to all damage while adjacent to any other creature.
uncomfortable truths and making dire predictions. The Stage 2: While affected by stage 2, the target gains vulnerable
target cannot score critical hits. 10 to all damage while adjacent to any other creature.
Stage 3: While affected by stage 3, a silver mask of the angel’s Stage 3: While affected by stage 3, the target gains vulnerable
face appears near the target unpredictably, speaking 15 to all damage while adjacent to any other creature.
uncomfortable truths and making dire predictions. When Stage 4: While affected by stage 4, the target is weakened and
the target scores a critical hit, bonus damage from that gains vulnerable 15 to all damage while adjacent to any
attack is applied to the cursed character rather than to the other creature.
target of the attack. Check: At the end of each extended rest, the target makes a
Check: At the end of each extended rest, the target makes a Religion check if he or she is at stage 1, 2, or 3.
Religion check if he or she is at stage 1, 2, or 3. 20 or lower: The stage of the curse increases by one.
16 or lower: The stage of the curse increases by one. 21–28: No change.
17–23: No change. 29 or higher: The stage of the curse decreases by one (if at
24 or higher: The stage of the curse decreases by one (if at stage 1, no change occurs).
stage 1, no change occurs). Ending the Curse: The target dies or is forgiven by the death
Ending the Curse: The target is blessed by the god whom the titan’s next of kin.
angel serves or by a superior angel.
About the Author
As an RPG developer, Peter Schaefer worked on such books
as Adventurer’s Vault 2, The Plane Below, and Player’s Handbook 3,
in addition to numerous D&DI articles. But that is only a side-
line, as Earth dollars do not pay for the lifestyle of a multiversal
delver such as he. The wavefunction manifold alone requires
a small power plant to engage. He earns his bread by mapping
alternate dimensions in exchange for crystallized terajoules
with which he can power his crossworld jaunts.
34
Honorable lords and ladies, if you love your na-
tion I urge you to heed my words. The scales
pose an untenable threat to the operations of my
house. Without the steady revenues my family
brings to the crown, this little country of yours
will wither and die. The facts speak for them-
selves. Attacks by the scales have increased
tenfold in the last year. The Poison Dusk tribe
accounts for the majority of these raids, but the
documents before you hold proof of strikes by the
Shining Claws and the Lingering Light. By now
I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors of the armies
massing at Ka’rhashan. I know some among
you believe we can live in harmony with these
creatures. Unfortunately, this is simply not the
case. The Cold Sun Federation is not our ally.
Its members are scales, and at the end of the day
we’ll always be softskins to them. We’ll always
be the outsiders and invaders, and in the wake
of the Mourning they see us as weak and vulner-
able. Trust them too far and you will eventually
wake up in a pool of your own blood.
Nobles of Newthrone. Lords of Q’barra. I don’t

ask you to risk your own people in the battle that
lies ahead. All I ask is that you untie my hands
and let me assemble the troops I need to cleanse
this land once and for all. Let me drive the scales
Blood and Dragonshards:

into the ocean and give you the security you have
always craved.
—Khalar Velderan d’Tharashk,
Backdrop Qbarra, Part 1 addressing the Lords of Newthrone
By Keith Baker
illustration by Adam Gillespie and Matias Tapia
35
Backdrop Qbarra, Part 1
In the world of Eberron, dragonshards are the life- Since Eberron shards are found in the upper earth,
blood of modern civilization. From the message mining operations don’t involve deep shafts. The larg-
stones of House Sivis and the airships of House Lyran- est mines are vast open pits blasted into the earth. Skill Challenge: Finding
dar to the coldfire lanterns found on the streets of Smaller operations involve miners combing through
Eberron Shards
every city, dragonshards are an integral part of life in the soil or searching riverbeds. The process is long
the Thronehold nations. With every year the demand and tedious, and the greatest skill involved comes in As a skill challenge, finding Eberron shards involves
for shards grows. picking a promising location for prospecting. Q’barra Arcana (sensing the presence of shards, though the
Humans came to Q’barra in search of sanctuary, is rich in shards, but it can still take weeks to find a geode shielding makes this a difficult task), Nature
not profit. Less than a decade ago, colonists in Pitch- promising shard site, and the mining is slow work. A (understanding the effect shard radiation can have
wall found a patch of Eberron dragonshards while geode worth 25 gp is a fortune to a simple farmer, but on wildlife), and Perception (recognizing patterns of
digging new wells. Drawn by the reports, Tharashk adventurers can find more excitement and rewards soil that suggest the presence of shards).
prospectors soon found that Q’barra had vast Eber- by exploring the ancient ruins scattered across
ron dragonshard deposits, including Eberron shards Q’barra. So, characters can find a better life than that
with qualities never before seen by the house. Com- of the shard miner—but the industry can still serve as Lord Khalar continues to lobby for a free hand in
bined with the end of the Last War, this discovery has the basis for many adventures. the region. Despite this, many independent pros-
drawn a host of new forces to Q’barra. The shard rush Many of the richest deposits of dragonshards are pectors—many of whom are secretly working for
is on, and this is threatening to destroy the delicate in regions inhabited by the native races of Q’barra. Tharashk—continue to cross into forbidden territory.
balance of power that exists between the humans and Heavy deposits of shards are found around ruins Bandits from the Five Nations raid lizardfolk caches
the native races of the region . . . and potentially, to dating back to the Age of Demons. The dragonborn and poorly guarded mining camps. The city of Hope
unleash horrors from the dawn of time. treat these areas as sacred ground, and each dragon- has become a haven for bandit and rogue prospector
born clan defends a number of ruins. Other shard alike, and the Tharashk enclave buys raw dragon-
The Nature of deposits are found in the lands of the more primitive shards with no questions asked.
lizardfolk. Furthermore, House Tharashk has discov- The scales have been quick to respond to these
the Trade ered that many tribes of the Cold Sun Federation have activities. The dragonborn show no mercy to anyone
amassed large quantities of dragonshards. Although caught in their holy sites. Lizardfolk have struck both
Dragonshards are divided into three primary catego- they appear to make no use of the shards aside from independent and Tharashk mines, venturing into
ries. Siberys shards fall from the sky. Khyber shards using them as decoration, the lizardfolk refuse to part human-held territory to sabotage mining operations
are found deep below the ground or are hidden in the with these shards. and steal shards. Shards caravans are frequently
roots of mountains. Eberron shards are found in the King Sebastes has worked hard to earn the ambushed by forces of the Cold Sun Federation and
upper soil of the earth. The mineral wealth of Q’barra trust of dragonborn and lizardfolk leaders, and he the Poison Dusk, and bandits from Hope take advan-
is primarily Eberron shards. The most common of the has forbidden any shard mining in scale territory. tage of this to cover their own attacks. The Poison
three classes, Eberron shards are the basic fuel of the Unfortunately, Sebastes’s reach is woefully limited, Dusk has struck innocent farms and villages, stirring
magical economy. A single Eberron shard is far less and what forces he has have been strained trying greater anger against the scales. Greed and xenopho-
valuable than a Khyber shard or Siberys shard, but a to protect his people from the increasingly aggres- bia have turned Q’barra into a tinderbox, and one
patch of shards can still make a lone miner rich. sive actions of the Poison Dusk. On the surface, good spark could ignite the fires of war.
House Tharashk respects Sebastes’s edict, though
36
House Tharashk
The Value of Dragonshards
The dragonshard trade is the foundation of House
Eberron dragonshards are a vital part of Khorvaire’s Q’barra is known for two unusual grades of Eber- Tharashk’s wealth and power. The Dragonmark of
magical economy. But exactly what are they good for? ron dragonshards. Dusk shards are a smoky gray with Finding gives the house an unbeatable edge when it
What is their value on the open market, and is there vivid red veins, and dawn shards are pale orange with comes to prospecting. Shardfinders use mystical focus
anything else that makes them useful to adventurers? crimson threads. Both shards are worth five times as items that channel the power of the dragonmark
Beyond this, what are the unique types of Eberron much as a standard shard of similar size, so the small- to locate a specific class of object, allowing them to
dragonshards that are found only in Q’barra, and what est dusk shard is worth 25 gp. Dusk and dawn shards find the richest fields with ease. As a result, they can
makes them special? also provide a +2 bonus to any skill check associated afford to bring vast resources to bear, since they know
In the Eberron® campaign setting, Eberron drag- with rituals performed using the shards as the sole they will get a solid return for their mining. Thar-
onshards are a required component of most common source of components. ashk mines are vast pits with dozens or hundreds
magic items. Approximately 25 percent of the cost The miners have yet to discover the source of this of miners at work. Tharashk uses Lyrandar airships
of enchanting a magic item comes in the form of unusual power. The truth is that the dawn shards are and elemental galleons to haul shards back to the
dragonshards. A character can create an item with- charged with the divine power of the Silver Flame, and Five Nations, but airships require docking towers and
out Eberron shards, but it requires an exotic array the dark shards are imbued with the essence of the thus can’t reach most of the jungle mines. As a result,
of components that vary widely for each item, such immortal fiend Malsvirik. As a result, these shards or a steady stream of Tharashk caravans travels across
as hydra blood, the hairs of a manticore’s mane, and the residuum produced from them could have other Hope. These caravans are well-guarded, but bandits
similarly esoteric items. As such, the modern industry remarkable effects, entirely of the DM’s choosing. and the Poison Dusk are a constant threat.
of enchantment has come to rely on dragonshards. For example, when a priest of the Silver Flame uses a Tharashk’s operations in Q’barra are controlled
Beyond this, Eberron dragonshards are charged dawn shard in the Inquisitive’s Eyes ritual, the ritual by the Velderan clan. Lord Khalar Velderan is a
with raw magical energy that can be tapped for any might peer much further into the past than expected cunning and ruthless man. In his youth he was an
form of complex magic. In this way, Eberron dragon- … or produce an effect that lasts for months or years inquisitive in Sharn, and he’s comfortable fighting
shards duplicate the effects of residuum. The market instead of the usual 10 minutes, effectively locking the with either words or steel. Khalar is human, but the
value of an Eberron dragonshard is its equivalent value caster into visions of the past. Alternatively, someone majority of the Tharashk forces in the region are orcs
in residuum; if a shard is used in a ritual that uses less using dusk shards for divination rituals could receive or half-orcs. The house has also brought large num-
than the full value of the shard, it partially melts away. messages directly from Malsvirik, or misleading infor- bers of monstrous mercenaries to Q’barra to serve as
Eberron shards are found in small geodes, typically mation that serves the purposes of the overlord. More laborers and guards. Ogres and minotaurs are found
containing 1d6 pure crystals worth 5 to 25 gp apiece. information about Malsvirik will be provided in an at Tharashk sites, and gargoyles and harpies serve as
Rich fields such as those found in Q’barra and the upcoming article. messengers and scouts. Repurposed warforged titans
Shadow Marches can yield larger shards that are the House Tharashk doesn’t sell raw Eberron drag- perform the heavy mining operations at the largest
size of a human fist; these shards are worth up to 250 onshards. Instead, Tharashk refineries process pits. However, there is always room for cheap labor at
gp. Larger shards have correspondingly higher value dragonshards to produce residuum. A shard processed a Tharashk mine.
but are rare. Higher grades of shards have greater con- by Tharashk refineries produces more residuum than Despite the success he has enjoyed so far, Lord
centrations of magical energy, translating to a greater its raw market value; this is how Tharashk makes its Khalar is hungry to expand his operations and
market value. profit on the trade. chafes at the restrictions imposed by King Sebastes.
37
Although he is careful not to endanger the posi- A significant portion of this new wave of prospec- Riedra
tion of his house, he is secretly funding a number of tors is made up of soldiers discharged following the
teams that are operating in forbidden territory. He Last War. National tensions still run hot in some Eberron dragonshards are as useful to the psions of
doesn’t care if independent miners enjoy limited suc- places, and many times Thranes and Karrns have Riedra as they are to the artificers of Khorvaire, and
cess, but if a lucky prospector found a remarkably battled over a new find. One of the most infamous such shards are extremely rare in Sarlona. As a result,
rich deposit, Khalar might try to buy out his or her sites is Gray Ash Pit, also known as the Gap. Manned the Riedrans are extremely interested in Q’barra. The
claim . . . and failing that, employ bandits or others largely by Karrns who follow the faith of the Blood of Inspired ambassador Jhakanath has provided King
to drive the settler from his or her claim. Vol, the Gap was established by Durc Lurran, a necro- Sebastes with a garrison of troops to help defend his
The largest Tharashk mine is known as the mancer who served with the Order of the Onyx Skull. young nation, and a Riedran quarter has sprung up
Dragon’s Maw. Located east of Whitecliff, the Drag- A handful of zombies and skeletons man the pit; a few in the city of Newthrone. Jhakanath is purchasing
on’s Maw has an airship docking tower of its own. of these are made from the corpses of bandits who large quantities of shards from House Tharashk, but
Although the pit is beginning to run dry, the Maw have attacked the Gap, serving as a grisly warning to the Inspired have also secured permission to start
serves as a hub for Tharashk caravans and is a thriv- others who might have the same idea. their own mining operations. Nonetheless, the rich-
ing community in its own right. Far from Newthrone, est shard deposits lie in the lands of the scales, and
the Maw serves as a base of operations for Khalar’s Sebastes won’t let the Riedrans threaten his relation-
covert operations, and when Khalar isn’t lobbying ship with the lizardfolk or dragonborn . . . yet.
in Newthrone, he stays here. Khalar is considering The Inspired have ways of influencing people, and
establishing a full refinery here to keep the Maw run- Sebastes might have dreams of the threat posed by
ning when the shards finally run dry. the scales—dreams that encourage him to accept fur-
ther aid from Riedra, and to build up an army strong
Independent enough to seize land from the dragonborn and claim
the kingdom his people deserve. Sebastes isn’t the
Prospectors only target for such influence; the Inspired can also
further this goal by planting dreams in the minds
Many people lost their livelihoods, homes, or even
of the dragonborn. Conflict in Q’barra serves the
their homeland in the Last War. The stories of wealth
Inspired well, since it increases Sebastes’s need for
waiting to be found in the soil of Q’barra are a beacon
Riedran troops.
of hope for these people, and many seek to find a
new beginning in Hope. Prospecting is one path to
fortune, but others prosper off the rush itself, provid- Where’s the
ing services in the new communities that spring up
Adventure?
around shard deposits.
The Eberron Campaign Guide includes a number of plot
hooks for Q’barra, including the threat of Mishva the
Conqueror. The dragonshard trade presents a number
of new options.
38
Home Sweet Home their betrayal of Cyre. A wandering Talentan bard entertainment. How could the skills and abilities of
could be collecting the stories of the jungle. A priest the other characters be put to use in a small town?
In a handful of frontier villages, scales and settlers
of the Silver Flame might feel a strange draw to this As adventurers work their way to the heroic tier,
live side by side. This can be an excellent starting
place. These are just a few examples; anyone could they must establish their village and help it grow.
point for a new group of adventurers. A dragonborn
have a reason to leave the west and start anew. Think The Q’barran frontier is a lawless place, and the
might be here trying to learn the ways of the softskins.
about the roles the characters might play in a small adventurers have to help maintain the peace. They
A Cyran soldier could be searching for a new home.
community. A cleric adventurer could be the vil- might have to repel Poison Dusk attacks, maintain
A Valenar elf might have abandoned her people after
lage priest. A Sivis gnome might be in charge of the the uneasy peace with the dragonborn clan, and
message stone. A bard could be a beloved source of expose human bandits trying to pin their crimes
Elemental Grounding
Eberron dragonshards are a repository for mystical
Dragon’s Breath Geodes
energy. While buried and encased in their geodes,
the energy of shards is shielded. When the raw Eberron dragonshards are repositories for pure magi- geode, from 5 for a small geode up to 30 for a very
shards are removed from the geodes and gathered cal energy. Most shards are stable and entirely safe to large one. (Damage should be doubled at paragon tier
together, the stockpile can serve as an anchor point handle. However, occasionally, because of manifest and tripled at epic tier.) A character or creature who
to divert elemental energy away from an intended zones or planar convergences, dragonshards vaporize makes a successful Arcana or Acrobatics check (hard
target. Whether the attempt succeeds or fails, it can into an unstable gas. Under normal conditions, this DC) takes only half damage.
be done only once within an hour; a second attempt gas is released only when the geode is cracked, and A character trained in Arcana can spend a minor
destroys the shards. thus poses a threat only to prospectors. However, the action to sense the presence of a dragon’s breath
use of certain types of power in the vicinity of such a geode. An Arcana check (medium DC) reveals that one
Elemental Grounding Single-Use Terrain shard can trigger an explosive burst. Prospectors refer or more dragon’s breath geodes are within 2 squares
You divert elemental energy into the raw dragonshards. to this blast as “dragon’s breath.” of the character’s location; an Arcana check (hard DC)
Immediate Interrupt A dragon’s breath geode responds to powers that reveals the exact square or squares containing the
Trigger: You are in a square targeted by a close or area attack
that causes acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage.
have the arcane, divine, psionic, primal, and shadow geodes.
Dawn shards can absorb radiant damage; dusk shards can keywords, or which deal fire, lightning, necrotic, psy- The detonation of a dragon’s breath geode destroys
absorb necrotic damage. chic, or thunder damage. The DM, of course, can rule any raw Eberron shards within the burst.
Requirement: You must be within 1 square of a cache of raw
that any specific power does or does not activate it. Use: A dragon’s breath geode adds a potentially
dragonshards.
Check: Arcana check (hard DC; trained characters only). Whenever an attack of the appropriate type is used in deadly surprise to the Q’barran wilderness. Lizard-
Success: You reduce the damage caused by the attack by or targets a square containing a dragon’s breath geode, folk of the Cold Sun Federation plant dragon’s breath
half the Arcana check $result. This protects all creatures there is a 50/50 chance that the geode detonates. geodes near chokepoints in their defenses. Lizardfolk
targeted by the attack. Attempting to divert energy a
Effect: A detonating dragon’s breath geode pro- invokers and shamans use area attacks to trigger these
second time within an hour causes the shards to explode,
dealing 10 damage per tier in a close burst 1 centered on duces a close burst 1 effect centered on the geode’s geodes when enemies are in optimal positions.
the shard cache. square. Damage varies with the size and power of the
Failure: You are dazed until the end of your next turn, and the
triggering attack automatically hits you.
39
on the scales. R iedrans or House Tharashk might Champions of Industry Strikeforce: Sarlona
want to establish an outpost in the village—do the
The Five Nations need dragonshards, and the scales The Riedrans have their own agenda in the jungles.
adventurers approve of these things? And what about
are standing in the way of progress. The supersti- People interested in exploring a different side of the
the nearby demon ruins? When demons or undead
tious beliefs of the lizardfolk don’t put gold in an action could play a team of special operatives from
menace the village, can the adventurers find the
adventurer’s purse, and the fact of the matter is that Riedra, sent to pursue the interests of the Inspired.
source and cleanse the taint?
these inhuman creatures have attacked citizens of a Shifters, humans, and changelings are all solid
Moving into paragon, the adventurers could be
Thronehold nation. A capable team of adventurers choices for a Riedran force. It makes sense for such a
faced with full-scale war. When King Sebastes gives
with ties to the dragonmarked houses are brought force to focus on psionic power, but there’s room for
Tharashk a free rein, the house moves into the region
in to perform dirty jobs that King Sebastes won’t a shifter ranger or fighter, or a cunning changeling
with a full force of monstrous mercenaries. The drag-
approve. Hunting down lizardfolk saboteurs or sabo- rogue. Such a team could engage in the same sort of
onborn respond to this invasion with full fury. Can
taging independent miners—it’s all in a day’s work. actions as mercenaries in service of a dragonmarked
the village survive the conflict? The epic tier can
Now the ritual war of Ka’rhashan is approaching, house, but they could also focus on intrigue in New-
bring in the ancient history of the region: the dragon
which means the greatest warriors of the dragonborn throne: coming up with ways to turn Sebastes against
Rhashaak and the overlord Malsvirik. When the Cold
clans will be at the holy city . . . and the guard will the scales, or strengthening Riedran influence in the
Sun rises once more, can the adventurers overcome
be weak at the demonic ruins. Tharashk intelligence city. Perhaps the Inspired want to replace the local
the ancient evil? If Newthrone falls, could the humble
has determined that a massive cache of dragonshards thieves’ guild with a smugglers’ order better suited to
village the characters helped found become the heart
is in one of these ancient ruins. The team has a week their purposes; the characters are the troubleshooters
of the new kingdom?
to get in, get the shards, and get out. Any dragonborn who step in and shift the balance of this mob war.
Although a Q’barran village could serve as an
that are encountered have to be eliminated: This
anchor point for a campaign, this doesn’t mean that About the Author
undertaking cannot be traced back to the house.
the entire campaign would take place in Q’barra. Keith Baker has been an avid fan of Dungeons & Dragons®
The life of a house mercenary can be a profitable since grade school. His life took a dramatic turn in 2002
Adventurers might go to the Five Nations to negotiate
one. If the adventurers learn about the reasons the when he submitted the world of Eberron to the Wizards of the
with patriarchs of the dragonborn houses. They could Coast Fantasy Setting Search. In addition to developing the
lizardfolk protect the shards, will they care? If their
venture east to Sarlona to pursue Riedran criminals, Eberron Campaign Setting and Shadows of the Last War, he has
actions release demons and rakshasa into Q’barra,
or up to Lhazaar as a result of pirate raids. Marauding worked for Atlas Games, Goodman Games, and Green Ronin.
will they clean up the mess or take their earnings
aberrations could draw them down into the depths of
back to the Five Nations?
Khyber, revealing horrors far beneath their village. A
More information about the natives of Q’barra and
character’s former life could come back to haunt him
threats from the Age of Demons will be provided in
or her, and perhaps he or she needs to return home
an upcoming article.
to settle debts. When Malsvirik is rising, the key to
facing the overlord could lie in the Demon Wastes or
distant Argonnessen. The village might be the heart
of the campaign, but adventures could span the world
and the planes.
40
Vanguard Tower
An adventure for 4th-level characters
F by Rob Wieland F
illustration by Wayne England

cartography by Jason A. Engle
“Vanguard Tower” is a short adventure for five 4th-level characters.

As the adventurers are going about their business, they learn that
a beholder has taken captured rust monsters to a tower for an un-
known purpose, and their goal is to find out what’s going on at the
tower and deal with the beholder. The tower was held originally by
the bandit group called the Cats of Thleen. Will the heroes discover
and prevent the exchange of a rust monster to a gnoll tribe? And
what do they find in the tower if they succeed?
41
Vanguard Tower
Many adventurers come to the Chaos Scar looking for lost Not Rust Monsters!: A druid who lives in the
area of the tower saw the rust monsters being taken
treasure, powerful magic, and vicious monsters to defeat. to the tower by the beholder. She made this informa-
tion known to friends of hers in various towns, and
The Scar has all three in copious amounts, and some seek to one of these friends approaches the heroes. He or
make a profit by turning a negative into a positive—for them she wants to alleviate the concerns the druid has
about the rust monsters. Perhaps the druid finished
if nobody else. The beholder gauth named Shur-Tuuz is one handling a rust monster menace elsewhere and
wishes to prevent this from happening again—but
such profiteer. the beholder and its duergar entourage are beyond
her ability to handle.
Old Friends: The heroes could know any of the
Background tower could serve as a useful location for it. Storing
Vanguard Tower inhabitants. Artemeque Labruinn,
vicious creatures in some of its bases is not conve-
Many adventurers come to the Chaos Scar look- the leader of the Cats of Thleen, could be an old
nient; this place, however, is far enough out that it
ing for lost treasure, powerful magic, and vicious friend of any unaligned heroes or the foe of any good
can consider selling more dangerous creatures than
monsters to defeat. The Scar has all three in copi- heroes. Zagira could be a mentor to an arcane hero.
rust monsters.
ous amounts, and some seek to make a profit by Quillburn might have consulted on an arcane riddle
Unfortunately for Shur-Tuuz, a local druid saw
turning a negative (captured creatures such as rust or offered dungeoneering advice. The heroes receive
its band heading toward the tower, plus the rust
monsters or the last known location of a missing word many months after the fact that their old friend
monsters, and she quickly made it known to contacts
band of would-be heroes) into a positive—for them if has built Vanguard Tower and is looking for adven-
that something was going on at the tower. How this
nobody else. The beholder gauth named Shur-Tuuz turers to help tame the Scar. The heroes can use the
news reaches the ears of the adventurers is up to the
is one such profiteer, and its recent efforts have seen tower as a base of operations for their adventures.
DM (see some hooks below for ideas), but the druid
it lead a group of duergar to the tower, where it also When they reach the location, though, they stumble
and other folk are not happy with the idea of having
hopes to profit by selling a couple of rust monsters to across the beholder and its negotiations.
a beholder in that tower, and they don’t appreciate
a band of local gnolls. The beholder already has the
the presence of rust monsters in the area. The heroes
duergars’ payment for the information; now it seeks
might also know the former inhabitants of the tower
to gain payment for the rust monsters. Major Quest:
and seek to discover what happened to them. What-
After the beholder arrived at the location with the
ever the case, they arrive as the negotiations for the Stop the Beholder
band of duergar, they all discovered that the tower
rust monsters are taking place. The characters must kill the rust monsters and find
hadn’t had inhabitants for a few months. Seeing
another opportunity, Shur-Tuuz sent its runner off out what the beholder is doing in the tower. If all else
to the gnolls, but also sent another back to one of
Hooking the Characters fails, killing the beholder works, too, without finding
“Vanguard Tower” takes place in the Chaos Scar. out anything as to its purpose for being there.
its usual haunts to gather more forces. It wants to
Use of one the following hooks to bring your char- Quest XP: 200 per character.
keep the tower as another base of operations. Thus
acters into conf lict with the new lord of Vanguard
far, Shur-Tuuz has succeeded at its endeavors to sell
Tower.
information and various “found” goods, and this
42
Vanguard Tower
A Noble Experiment: A scholar studying the Middle Floor (Snake Charmers): Zagira, a rarely there. Instead, she wanders the Scar seeking
strange chaos metal wants to know the effect it has on dragonborn mystic, accompanied Artemeque to the out the strange interaction between the metal and
rust monsters. Can they digest it? Does it mutate them area. The mystic spends most of her time studying the arcane energy. When she first arrived, she turned
like other creatures? The adventurers are put on the meteor, because she seeks to harness its power. Zagira her floor into a series of interconnected teleportation
trail of a pair of rust monsters that leads them to the took over the middle floor of the tower, though she is wards to allow the Cats to teleport to any one of their
forest. The trail ends at the tower, so someone inside
must have the rust monsters.
Shur-Tuuz Must Pay: An ally of the heroes
Using Vanguard Tower as a Hook
has been targeted by assassins. The heroes tracked
down the source of the betrayal to Shur-Tuuz. The If you have time to set it up beforehand, Vanguard Tower makes an excellent base of operations for a Chaos Scar
spies in the beholder’s employ have caused many set- campaign. Labruinn and the Cats of Thleen can act as allies that provide a safe shelter in between encounters and
backs in the lives of those who are looking to restore serve as a source of rumors and research. This group of bandits walks the fine line between being folk heroes and
order to the wild lands of the Chaos Scar. If Shur- outlaws. A person must have ended at least nine lives to join the Cats. The group targets the rich and others they
Tuuz were eliminated, the heroes would take one step believe can stand to lose some gold pieces, but they don’t always give to the poor. In essence, the Cats of Thleen
closer to victory. serve themselves first and others second.
They understand the importance of allies, however, so they do a good job of staying in the good graces of the
The Tower common folk. The Cats live simply in the woods, but every month they take a chunk of their ill-gotten gains and
Formerly the base for the Cats of Thleen, the tower is spread them around the nearest town. Innkeepers and blacksmiths aren’t likely to sell out rogues if they want to
being used for different purposes now. Both the origi- stay well-paid. Also, those willing to pursue the thieves into the dangerous Scar are either foolhardy enough to get
nal purpose and the current condition of each floor themselves killed or brave enough the Cats might want them as part of the gang.
are described below to allow DMs to use the tower If not allies, the Cats of Thleen could also be friendly rivals, spurring the heroes to greater deeds through compe-
for more than the adventure at hand. See “Using Van- tition and the quest for bragging rights. They might ride to your heroes’ aid in case an encounter goes poorly—but
guard Tower as a Hook” for more information on the demand payment for their efforts.
tower’s backstory. Today, nobody knows what happened to the Cats of Thleen. Their activities dropped off dramatically a few
Top Floor (An Interrupted Negotiation): Arte- months ago, so now people suspect that something has happened to them. Some believe that creatures of the
meque Labruinn, the leader of the Cats of Thleen, Chaos Scar might have overtaken them. Others think that the law might have finally caught up with them. Some,
came to the Chaos Scar, realizing its potential as a though, wonder if they might have moved on to easier lands to pillage. A couple of folk speculate that the Cats
base of operations. He reserved the top floor for him- could still be hiding out in the forest, waiting for the word from Artemeque to strike.
self as a library, where he would carefully plan the As an alternative to rumors of the disappearance of the Cats, a relatively recent attack on the tower makes for
Cats’ next big heist. Over the years, he has collected an excellent cliffhanger. Imagine the heroes, flush with gold and treasure, returning to Vanguard Tower to talk of
information about the Scar and those interested in it. their latest triumph. Perhaps before they reach the doors they stumble across the body of one of the Cats, which
Someday, he hopes that selling this collection of lore gives them warning that something isn’t right. Before they approach the tower, if the session was nearing its end
will allow him to retire. Currently the room is the anyway, you could give the players enough clues to have them realize that the haven they thought was safe for
location where the gnoll and beholder are meeting to their characters is not—then end the session.
make the exchange.
43
Vanguard Tower
bases hidden within the forest. Today, several gnolls taking over an area that the adventurers have already Conclusion
plus their snake pets are keeping watch on this floor cleared. After all, when one menace vanishes, another
The heroes might wish to use the tower as a base
while the negotiations take place on the floor above one might appear to take its place.
of operations for their further adventures in the
them.
Chaos Scar. The characters can shore up the physical
Ground Floor (Ambush in the Dark): The third Treasure defenses easily and use it as a place to store their trea-
Cat, Jorg Quillburn, is a dwarf expert of elemental The following treasure parcels can be found in Van-
sure. The adventurers might also wish to seek out the
earth magic. Quillburn’s elementals built the tower, guard Tower. The magic items should be useful to
history of those who lived in the tower before them
and Quillburn chose to take over the base floor of the your characters and themed to the fallen heroes that
and complete any unfinished business. The fate of the
tower and make it into an art gallery of sorts. He likes built the tower.
Cats of Thleen is left open. Perhaps they were killed,
to sculpt statues in his spare time, using his mastery
or perhaps they retreated to another hideout with
of stone to create works of art. His last big score was Parcel 1: 8 gold circlets
(worth 50 gp each), 20 gpAmbush in the Dark
grander treasures hidden away.
stealing an artifact from the duergar and hiding it in
Parcel 2: Level 5 magic item, On the other hand, the heroes might believe the
one of his sculptures. Several duergar, who are here
alexandrite (worth 50 gp), 40 gpSnake Charmers tower has been corrupted too thoroughly. Destroying
thanks to the beholder’s information, are attempting
Parcel 3: the tower can be as simple as a ritual discovered in
to locate the item.
Level 7 magic item An Interrupted Negotiation the library or as involved as putting the ghost of Jorg
Quillburn or another Cat of Thleen to rest.
Shur-Tuuz Getting Started If the journals survived the encounter on the top
Shur-Tuuz likes to acquire information, items, and Read or paraphrase the following when the floor, they are an excellent source of maps, cryptic
creatures to sell to others, and he has a small cus- adventurers reach the base of Vanguard Tower: entries, and encoded pages leading to other adven-
tomer base built up already. If you, as the DM, already
tures in the Scar or wherever the heroes turn their
have an organization in place that would find Shur- The rectangular tower juts out of the ground, combining attention next.
Tuuz useful, consider having Shur-Tuuz be an agent of natural and structured features in unusual ways. Its sides The beholder gauth is also an excellent link to
that organization with a clientele that he gained from are like craggy rock faces rather than smooth chiseled stone. another adventure. The gauth could have been an
his affiliation with the organization. Otherwise, the Windows in the sides of the structure look like natural alcoves, agent of an enemy the heroes have already made. The
beholder is an entrepreneur who started successfully yet the sun glints off glass set within each alcove. Two large beholder could also be a pawn sacrificed to see how
building up his own business just over a year ago. doors at the base of the tower open into darkness, and the much of a threat the heroes are becoming. Addition-
Regardless of where you decide Shur-Tuuz fits in your sounds of pick and shovel on stone echo within the structure. ally, the gnolls that meet with the beholder brought a
campaign, though, he believes that the information in
magic item as payment for the rust monster. Whoever
the tower will add to his profits in some manner and The tower is 50 feet tall, and the other floors can be owned that item originally will probably want it back.
intends to start going through the library that the Cats accessed through windows (DC 15 Climb check to
have acquired. reach each window). Coming in through the windows About the Author
Rob Wieland writes about pirates, gangsters, Jedi, and
will change the order of the encounters but have no
The Gnolls effect on the encounters themselves. In fact, if the
dragons. He would like to thank everyone who ever spent
time in his basement, cramped apartments, and dining room
The gnolls are recent clients of Shur-Tuuz, and heroes think to peer into the windows, feel free to helping him tell stories over dice and pizza. He lives in scenic
they just established a foothold in an area that the give them a preview of the monsters inside the tower. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is honored to be working on the
adventurers haven’t yet explored, or perhaps they’re granddaddy of them all: Dungeons & Dragons.
44
Vanguard Tower
Ground Floor: Tactics

The duergars’ limited knowledge of elemental
Ambush in the Dark magic allows them to control this room of the
Encounter Level 4 (850 XP) tower and turn it to their advantage. By shutting
the doors and sealing the windows, the room
Setup is entirely enclosed in darkness and swings the
2 duergar guards (G) encounter space into favoring the duergar.
3 duergar miners (M) The guards engage the heroes as close to
2 duergar scouts (S) their entry point as possible. They try to keep
the scouts free to rain down ranged attacks on
The duergar are chipping away at the corrupted their opponents. If the miners have been elimi-
stones that make up the tower. The Cats of Thleen nated, the guards concentrate their attacks on
took something from them before they went missing, any heroes bearing a light source, but they do not
and the duergar are tearing the room apart to bring it break off to close the doors if they are open.
back home. Anyone pausing to listen to them talk in If the adventurers draw their own illumina-
Deep Speech can hear that they’re searching for an tion devices, such as torches or sunrods, the
item of importance to them. miners attack the individuals bearing a light
source. If a light source is dropped on the floor,
Read the following when the heroes enter the one of the duergar miners moves to pick up the
room, either through the main doors or through item and bury it in one of the rock piles with a
one of the windows around the tower: minor action. If the miner places it in the rock
pile, the light source is considered extinguished.
The base of the tower is a mess. What was once a The duergar scouts do their best to stay to
welcoming area is now little more than a junk room. the shadows and use their underdark sneak and
Smashed statues litter the floor. Beautiful tapestries lie shadow attack. They engage the heroes at range
tattered on the ground or have been used to tie off rough and try to keep the long hallways between them-
mining equipment. selves and the heroes. They target any heroes
The guttural chatter drops off suddenly. The sound with ranged abilities first, then heroes with light check. If the doors are opened, the only squares still
of work comes to a stop, replaced by a slow rhythmic sources. bathed in darkness are the ones behind the stairs
thumping. Duergar mash their tools on the ground, leading up to the next level.
creating a deafening beat in the room.
Features of the Area Rock Piles: The piles of rocks are considered dif-
Suddenly, the windows seal close and the doors slam Illumination: None. The heroes can force the ficult terrain. The treasure parcel is hidden under the
shut. The only thing you hear is the angry pounding. The doors open to allow some light in the room. Break- 10-by-5 foot pile.
only thing you see in the darkness is the glow of seven pairs ing open the doors requires a DC 17 Dungeoneering
of eyes.
45
Vanguard Tower
2 Duergar Guards (G) Level 4 Soldier 3 Duergar Miners (M) Level 5 Minion Brute 2 Duergar Scouts (S) Level 4 Lurker
Medium natural humanoid XP 175 each Medium natural humanoid XP 50 each Medium natural humanoid XP 175 each
HP 58; Bloodied 29 Initiative +6 HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion. Initiative +3 HP 48; Bloodied 24 Initiative +8
Speed 5 Darkvision Speed 5 Darkvision Speed 5 Darkvision
Resist 5 fire, 5 poison Resist 5 fire, 5 poison Resist 5 fire, 5 poison
Standard Actions Standard Actions Traits
m Warhammer (weapon) F At-Will m Warhammer (weapon) F At-Will Shadow Attack
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +9 vs. AC Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +10 vs. AC The duergar scout’s attacks deal 4d6 extra damage when the
Hit: 1d10 + 6 damage. Hit: 4 damage. scout hits a target that cannot see it.
Effect: The duergar guard marks the target until the end of the Skills Dungeoneering +9 Standard Actions
target’s next turn. Str 17 (+5) Dex 13 (+3) Wis 14 (+4) m Warhammer (weapon) F At-Will
Minor Actions Con 20 (+7) Int 10 (+2) Cha 7 (+0) Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +9 vs. AC
Infernal Anger (fire) F Recharge 5 6 Alignment evil Hit: 1d10 + 4 damage.
Effect: Until the start of the guard’s next turn, its melee attacks L anguages Common, Deep Speech, Dwarven r Crossbow (weapon) F At-Will
deal 4 extra fire damage, and if an enemy adjacent to the Equipment chainmail, warhammer Attack: Ranged 20 (one creature); +9 vs. AC
guard moves, the guard can shift 1 square as an immediate Hit: 1d8 + 5 damage.
reaction. Underdark Sneak F At-Will
r Infernal Quills (poison) F Encounter Effect: The scout becomes invisible until the end of its next
Attack: Ranged 3 (one creature); +9 vs. AC turn or until it hits or misses with an attack.
Hit: 1d8 + 3 damage, and the target takes a –2 penalty to Minor Actions
attack rolls and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends both). r Infernal Quills (poison) F Encounter
Skills Dungeoneering +9 Attack: Ranged 3 (one creature); +9 vs. AC
Str 14 (+4) Dex 15 (+4) Wis 15 (+4) Hit: 1d8 + 4 damage, and the target takes a –2 penalty to
Con 18 (+6) Int 10 (+2) Cha 8 (+1) attack rolls and ongoing 5 poison damage (save ends both).
Alignment evil Skills Dungeoneering +9, Stealth +9
L anguages Common, Deep Speech, Dwarven Str 13 (+3) Dex 15 (+4) Wis 14 (+4)
Equipment chainmail, warhammer Con 18 (+6) Int 10 (+2) Cha 8 (+1)
Alignment evil
L anguages Common, Deep Speech, Dwarven
Equipment chainmail, warhammer, crossbow
46
Vanguard Tower
Middle Floor: Tactics

The spitting cobras spit at anyone coming
Snake Charmers up the stairs and then withdraw down the
Encounter Level 4 (900 XP) hallway as the gnolls advance. They try to
hit as many different targets as they can
Setup before they are killed.
Gnoll war fang (W) The deathpledged attack whichever
2 deathpledged gnolls (G) hallway has fewer minions after the first
5 spitting cobras (C) round. They target any controllers first if
any cobras are left.
The gnolls brought the cobras with them and The gnoll war fang accompanies the
watch them move in the hallway. The death- deathpledged gnolls, but as soon as one
pledged do not move—they are ready to die of the gnolls drops, it can no longer use
for their leader at a moment’s notice. The five its pack attack ability and should consider
spitting cobras wait in the hall: two on either using the central wall teleport to single out
side of the stairs and one directly in front. any lone hero.
Before the encounter, one snake attempts to
sneak past the heroes by making a DC 14
Stealth check. A failed check triggers the Illumination: Sunrods placed along
encounter. the western and eastern walls illuminate
the hall.
Read the following when the heroes Central Wall: The central wall is cov-
enter the room, either up the stairs or ered in strange markings. The gnoll war
through one of the windows around the fang has painted similar markings on its
tower, or when a snake fails a Stealth chest. Once an encounter, it can touch the
check: central wall and teleport to any square
adjacent to it. A hero can attempt the same
Numerous hisses echo though the halls of this level thing by painting sigils on a person with a
of the tower. A quick glance downward shows DC 14 Arcana check as a standard action.
several large snakes writhing on the floor. They Each hero can teleport once during the
crawl over broken stone, cracked glass, and other encounter as a move action.
broken belongings of those who once lived here.
47
Vanguard Tower
Gnoll War Fang (W) Level 6 Soldier (Leader) 2 Deathpledged Gnolls (G) Level 5 Brute 5 Spitting Cobras (C) Level 5 Minion Soldier
Medium natural humanoid XP 250 Medium natural humanoid XP 200 each Small natural beast (reptile) XP 50 each
HP 72; Bloodied 36 Initiative +7 HP 74; Bloodied 37 Initiative +4 HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion. Initiative +8
Speed 7 Low-light vision Speed 8 Low-light vision Speed 6, climb 6 Low-light vision
TRAITS Traits Standard Actions
O War Fang Defense F Aura 1 Pack Attack m Bite (poison) F At-Will
Allies within the aura gain a +2 bonus to AC. The gnoll’s attacks deal 5 extra damage to any enemy that has Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +10 vs. AC
Pack Attack two or more of the gnoll’s allies adjacent to it. Hit: 6 poison damage, and the cobra marks the target until the
The war fang’s melee attacks deal 5 extra damage against an Standard Actions end of the cobra’s next turn.
enemy that has two or more gnoll allies adjacent to it. m Longspear (weapon) F At-Will r Blinding Spittle (poison) F Recharge 4 5 6
STANDARD ACTIONS Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +10 vs. AC Attack: Ranged 5 (one creature); +8 vs. Reflex
M Longsword (weapon) F At-Will Hit: 2d6 + 9 damage, or 2d6 + 11 while the gnoll is bloodied. Hit: 6 poison damage, and the target is blinded (save ends).
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +13 vs. AC Triggered Actions Str 7 (+0) Dex 18 (+6) Wis 15 (+4)
Hit: 1d8 + 6 damage, or 1d8 + 10 while the war fang is Claws of Yeenoghu (healing) Con 15 (+4) Int 1 (–3) Cha 10 (+2)
bloodied. Trigger: The gnoll first drops to 0 hit points. Alignment unaligned Languages —
MINOR ACTIONS Effect (No Action): The gnoll regains 5 hit points, gains 1 action
Demonic Challenge (fire) F At-Will (1/round) point, and gains resist 15 to all damage. At the end of its
Effect: The war fang marks one enemy within 3 squares until next turn, the gnoll drops to 0 hit points.
the end of the encounter or until the war fang uses this Str 18 (+6) Dex 15 (+4) Wis 15 (+4)
power again. Until the mark ends, whenever the marked Con 14 (+4) Int 9 (+1) Cha 7 (+0)
enemy makes an attack that does not include the war fang Alignment chaotic evil Languages Abyssal, Common
as a target, the marked enemy takes 10 fire damage. Equipment leather armor, light shield, longspear
TRIGGERED ACTIONS
No Mercy F At-Will
Trigger: An enemy misses the war fang with a melee attack.
Effect (Immediate Reaction): One ally adjacent to the triggering
enemy can make a melee basic attack against it as a free
action.
Skills Intimidate +12
Str 19 (+7) Dex 14 (+5) Wis 15 (+5)
Con 16 (+6) Int 16 (+6) Cha 18 (+7)
Alignment chaotic evil Languages Abyssal, Common
Equipment plate armor, longsword
48
Vanguard Tower
Top Floor: If the heroes make their presence

known, read the following, adjusting as
An Interrupted needed to fit the circumstances:
Negotiation As you approach, the beholder drifts away from

Encounter Level 5 (1,100 XP) the table and turns its attentions to you. “Perhaps
a bit of a break before we continue? I’m sure you’d
Setup like a demonstration.” The beholder barks a word
Shur-Tuuz, beholder gauth (B) and the bone cage clatters to the floor.
Gnoll huntmaster (G)
2 rust monsters (R)
Tactics
Shur-Tuuz fights the first part of the battle
The beholder gauth is seated at the small table in to show off to its potential client. It cycles
the lower left hand corner. The magic item from the through its eye ray powers, but once it is
treasure parcel is located on the table. The beholder bloodied, it starts playing for keeps.
plans to pay Shur-Tuuz with it in exchange for one of The huntmaster stays out of the fight
the rust monsters Shur-Tuuz has in its possession. The initially unless attacked. If Shur-Tuuz takes
beholder and gnoll are speaking in a mix of Abyssal double digit damage from any attack, it con-
and Deep Speech. A character would need to under- vinces the huntmaster to aid it by giving the
stand both languages to follow their conversation. gnolls the rust monsters for free.
Read the following when the heroes enter the

room, either up the stairs or through one of the Illumination: The fireplace offers the
windows around the tower: primary source of illumination, though sun-
rods in sconces along the wall also provide
Bookshelves line one wall of the area, and an alchemy set light around the edges of the room.
occupies a table near the stairs. Two rust monsters are Bookshelves: The bookshelves contain Alchemist’s Table: Adventurers can find enough
curled up around the table. A glowing blue cage of bone journals from various adventurers as well as items components in the alchemy rig to make one potion of
surrounds the rust monsters. that look delicious to the rust monsters. These jour- level 5 or lower.
You hear the sounds of speech coming from the end of nals are an excellent source of additional hooks Blue Sigils: In addition, the blue sigils represent
the long bookshelves, but the voices are too hushed to make and later adventurers. The bookshelves can be wards containing the rust monsters. Shur-Tuuz drops
out the language. Seated at a small table near the shelves knocked over, dumping more food to distract the the wards at the beginning of the encounter but they
are two creatures. One is recognizable as a beholder, its eye rust monsters. If a rust monster begins its turn in an can be brought back. Restoring the wards requires a
stalks taking in the surroundings. The other is a gnoll with overturned shelf, it spends its move action digging up DC 14 Arcana or Nature check as a standard action.
its hand on an item on the table. small pieces of metal. The beholder automatically succeeds in restoring the
wards with a minor action.
49
Vanguard Tower
Shur-Tuuz, Beholder Gauth (B) Level 5 Elite Artillery Gnoll Huntmaster (G) Level 5 Artillery 2 Rust Monsters (R) Level 6 Skirmisher
Medium aberrant magical beast XP 400 Medium natural humanoid XP 200 Medium natural beast XP 250 each
Speed 0, fly 6 (hover) All-around vision, darkvision Speed 8 Low-light vision Speed 8 Low-light vision
Saving Throws +2; Action Points 1 Traits Traits
Traits Pack Attack Rusting Defense
All-Around Vision The gnoll’s attacks deal 5 extra damage to any enemy that has Whenever an attack using a metal weapon hits the rust mon-
Enemies can’t gain combat advantage by flanking the gauth. two or more of the gnoll’s allies adjacent to it. ster, the weapon used in the attack is rusting until the end
Standard Actions Standard Actions of the encounter. While the weapon is rusting, attacks with
m Bite F At-Will m Handaxe (weapon) F At-Will the weapon take a –1 penalty to attack rolls. If the weapon
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +10 vs. AC Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +10 vs. AC used to attack the rust monster is already rusting, the pen-
Hit: 2d4 + 5 damage. Hit: 2d6 + 3 damage, or 2d6 + 5 while the gnoll is bloodied. alty to attack rolls worsens by 1 (to a maximum penalty
R Eye Rays F At-Will R Longbow (weapon) F At-Will of –5).
Effect: The gauth uses two eye ray powers chosen from the list Attack: Ranged 30 (one creature); +12 vs. AC Standard Actions
below. Each eye ray must target a different creature. Using Hit: 1d10 + 8 damage, or 1d10 + 10 while the gnoll is m Bite F At-Will
eye rays does not provoke opportunity attacks. bloodied. Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +11 vs. AC
1. Fire Ray (fire): Ranged 8; +10 vs. Reflex; 2d6 + 6 fire Skills Stealth +11 Hit: 2d8 + 5 damage. If the target is wearing heavy armor, the
damage. Str 16 (+5) Dex 19 (+6) Wis 14 (+4) armor is rusting until the end of the encounter. While the
2. Exhaustion Ray (necrotic): Ranged 8; +10 vs. Fortitude; Con 14 (+4) Int 8 (+1) Cha 7 (+0) armor is rusting, the target takes a –1 penalty to AC. If the
1d8 + 4 necrotic damage, and the target is weakened (save Alignment chaotic evil Languages Abyssal, Common target is wearing armor that is already rusting, increase the
ends). Equipment leather armor, handaxe, longbow, 30 arrows penalty to AC by 1 (to a maximum penalty of –5).
3. Sleep Ray (charm): Ranged 8; +10 vs. Fortitude; the target Effect: The rust monster shifts 1 square.
is slowed (save ends). M Devour Metal F Recharge if the power misses
First Failed Saving Throw: The target is knocked unconscious Attack: Melee 1 (one creature wearing or wielding a rusting
instead of slowed (save ends). item); +9 vs. Reflex
4. Telekinesis Ray: Ranged 8; +10 vs. Fortitude; the gauth Hit: The rusting item is destroyed. If the item was magical,
slides the target up to 4 squares. residuum worth the item’s market value can be retrieved
Minor Actions from the rust monster after the creature is slain.
r Central Eye F At-Will Str 8 (+2) Dex 20 (+8) Wis 15 (+5)
Attack: Ranged 5 (one creature); +10 vs. Will Con 10 (+3) Int 2 (–1) Cha 12 (+4)
Hit: The target is immobilized until the end of the gauth’s next Alignment unaligned Languages —
turn.
Str 12 (+3) Dex 15 (+4) Wis 16 (+5)
Con 15 (+4) Int 18 (+6) Cha 20 (+7)
Alignment evil Languages Deep Speech
50
the
Wayward
Wyrmling
A Chaos Scar adventure
for 3rd-level characters
By Aeryn “Blackdirge” Rudel
illustration by Wayne England F cartography by Jason A. Engle
“The Wayward Wyrmling” is a short adventure for five 3rd-level characters that takes
place in the lair of an adamantine dragon in the Chaos Scar. The adamantine dragon
Karonzaxus was recently slain by a powerful group of adventurers, but it left behind
a single wyrmling. Fireclaw kobolds led by an ambitious wyrmpriest have moved into
the abandoned lair and adopted the orphaned dragonling.
The kobolds have been training the wyrmling to be a vicious killer, providing it with
humanoid training partners kidnapped from beyond the King’s Wall. The characters
have the opportunity to explore the dragon’s lair, end the kobold menace, and perhaps
rescue the adamantine wyrmling from the evil influence of the kobold wyrmpriest.
51
The Wayward Wyrmling
Background kobolds were disarmed and forced to battle the ada- Hook 2: Woeful Woodwives
mantine wyrmling to the death. It is fairly common knowledge that local woodcutters
The adamantine dragon Karonzaxus was recently
Taloklaxus is not an evil creature, but it now has a are crossing into the Chaos Scar to harvest the boun-
slain by a group of adventurers near the Chaos Scar,
child’s loyalty to Varza and follows the wyrmpriest’s tiful forests beyond the King’s Wall. The boldest of
and tales of the mighty deed echo through the land.
commands. Taloklaxus believes that he must slay these woodcutters, Erim Haverlan and his two grown
However, unbeknownst to the victorious adventurers,
the helpless creatures Varza forces him to battle in sons, disappeared over two weeks ago, and their wives
Karonzaxus was female, and had recently become
order to sharpen the fighting skills he needs to defend fear the worst. The wives approach the characters
the proud mother of a single male adamantine wyr-
Varza and the kobolds loyal to her. In the past few and ask them to enter the Chaos Scar and search the
mling, whom she named Taloklaxus. After the death
weeks, Taloklaxus’s natural instincts have become small forests near the King’s Wall for their husbands.
of Karonzaxus, her killers looted her lair but did not
more prominent, and he has begun to question Var- The woodcutters’ wives are poor working folk, but
discover the wyrmling, who was small enough to hide
za’s commands. This has not slowed Varza’s ambition, they have managed to scrape together 50 gp to pay
and avoid detection. With no choice but to fend for
however, and she has begun to venture beyond the the characters if they can locate their husbands, dead
himself, Taloklaxus left his mother’s lair in the Chaos
King’s Wall to collect ‘training partners’ for her pet or alive. The woodcutters’ wives can provide detailed
Scar and ventured out into the world. He would cer-
wyrmling. descriptions of the three missing woodcutters if the
tainly have been killed and eaten by a more powerful
monster but instead, the first creatures he encoun- characters agree to search for them. Alternatively,
tered were a warband of kobolds from the Fireclaw
Getting the the characters could be approached by the priestess
tribe. The wyrmpriest leading the group, Varza, an
Characters Involved Chendera, the bailiff Kendon Longstrider, or another
“The Wayward Wyrmling” takes place in the Chaos key NPC from Restwell Keep on behalf of the wives
ambitious and progressive kobold, saw the wyrmling
Scar. You can use one of the hooks below to get the and families of the missing woodcutters.
as a sign from Tiamat; a sign that it was time to leave
characters into the former lair of Karonzaxus. Quest XP: 250 xp for finding Erim and his sons,
her tribe and strike out on her own.
Varza persuaded her warband to join her by dead or alive. Award the characters an extra 50 xp if
Hook 1: Scaling Rewards they help the woodcutter’s wives free of charge.
promising that the adamantine wyrmling was the
The characters are approached by a dwarven smith
key to future power and influence in the Chaos
Scar. Needing a base of operations, Varza followed
named Ikos Ironbelly who tells them he was recently Treasure Preparation
hired by the group of adventurers responsible for Characters can find three caches of treasure in the
Taloklaxus’s tracks back to his mother’s lair, and there
slaying the great adamantine dragon Karonzaxus. course of The Wayward Wyrmling. These account for
began instructing the wyrmling in the finer points
The adventurers hired Ikos to craft armor from the treasure parcels 3, 5, and 9 (Dungeon Master’s Guide,
of dragonhood. Of course, Varza wished to turn her
dragon’s scales, which he did. He is convinced that page 126).
wyrmling into a rampaging monster not unlike the
there are more dragon scales in Karonzaxus’ lair,
chromatic dragons her kind so often serve. In order
and he offers to pay the characters 200 gp if they can Kobold Clearing: 80 gp
to do so, however, she needed to expunge the more
collect enough dragon scales to fashion a shield or a The Roaring Cavern: T wo potions of healing
peaceable inclinations common to metallic dragons
suit of armor. Ikos knows the location of the dragon’s Lair of Karonzaxus: Level 5 magic item, two 100-gp
from Taloklaxus’s psyche. Preferring a hands-on
lair within the Chaos Scar and gives the characters a gems, and 110 gp
approach, Varza and her kobolds began raiding local
rough map if they agree to his terms.
tribes of goblins and even rival kobold clans for suit-
Quest XP: 250 xp for finding enough dragon
able ‘teaching aids’ for Taloklaxus. Those taken by the
scales for Ikos to craft a shield or suit of armor.
52
Wrapping Up: Our Taloklaxus, Adamantine

Dragon Wyrmling (companion)
Level 4 Defender
Medium natural magical beast XP —

Very Own Dragon! HP 48; Bloodied 24; Healing Surges 11 Initiative +3
After the characters defeat Varza, and assuming they Speed 5, Fly 6 (hover) Darkvision
succeeded at the Turning Taloklaxus skill challenge, Resist 5 thunder
they have the opportunity to gain Taloklaxus as a Standard Actions
companion character. At that point, although Talokla- m Bite (thunder) F At-Will
xus no longer considers the characters enemies, Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. Reflex
he doesn’t yet recognize them as possible allies or Hit: 1d6 + 6 damage plus 1d6 thunder damage, and the target
is marked until the end of Taloklaxus’s next turn.
friends, either. In fact, the poor wyrmling is in a pro-
m Claw F At-Will
found state of emotional turmoil. The recent death
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. Reflex
of his mother and now the death of the only other Hit: 1d8 + 6 damage, and the target is marked until the end of
creature that has ever been kind to him—even if it was Taloklaxus’s next turn.
self-serving—has left him confused, depressed, and M Double Attack F At-Will
unsure what to do next. The characters can reassure Effect: The dragon makes two claw attacks.
Taloklaxus and persuade him to join them with a C Breath Weapon (thunder) F Encounter
simple complexity 1 skill challenge (Diplomacy, DC Attack: Close blast 4 (creatures in blast); +6 vs. Fortitude
Hit: 3d6 + 6 thunder damage.
10, 4 successes before 3 failures).
Skills Insight +8, plus one more of character’s choice
Normally, an adamantine wyrmling would be
Str 18 (+6) Dex 15 (+4) Wis 13 (+3)
outside the scope of allowable companion characters; Con 15 (+4) Int 10 (+2) Cha 10 (+2)
Taloklaxus is a unique case. Bereft of the parental Alignment Unaligned
training he would normally receive from his mother Languages Common, Draconic
and unwilling to fall back on the brutal techniques
taught to him by Varza, the wyrmling is a bit of a
blank slate. The companion character stat block About the Author
Aeryn “Blackdirge” Rudel is a staff writer and editor for
presented here is modified to reflect this fact. It
Goodman Games, a freelance writer and RPG designer, and
illustrates how Taloklaxus’s abilities are now stunted the editor-in-chief of the 4E magazine Level Up. He has been a
because of developmental and emotional trauma. professional game designer since 2005, and his recent author
In any event, it is unlikely that Taloklaxus will credits include Blackdirge’s Dungeon Denizens, Critter Cache:
Daemons, and Hero’s Handbook: Tief ling. Aeryn currently lives
remain with the characters as a companion for more in Modesto, California with his wife Melissa, a nongamer
than a level or two. He is a dragon, after all, and will whose tolerance for her husband’s geekery borders on the
recognize soon enough that his destiny lies elsewhere. supernatural.
53
1: Kobold Clearing Read or paraphrase the following when the char- Features of the Area
acters reach the clearing:
Illumination: Daylight.
Encounter Level 2 (XP 700) A narrow, winding path ends in a small forest clearing.
Fallen Trees: Squares covered by the fallen trees
4 kobold tunnelers (K) The area is quite bare, containing little more than a pair
are difficult terrain as shown. The fallen trees provide
4 kobold quickblades (Q) of fallen trees, a shallow pool, and a small hillock at the
superior cover to Small creatures adjacent to them or
2 mantrap patches (T) southern end of the clearing. A cavern yawns open at the
standard cover to Medium creatures.
base of the hillock, and you can faintly hear the sound of
Pool: The small pool is 2 feet deep and is difficult
Setup rushing water from the darkness within.
terrain.
Fearing reprisal from the rest of the Fireclaw tribe,
Varza has instructed her kobolds to be vigilant for When the kobolds attack, read:
intruders and has ensured the entrance to the lair is Shadowy figures move behind the two fallen trees in the
well guarded. The kobolds improved their defenses by clearing, and the air is suddenly filled with a hail of javelins.
felling two large trees which serve as barricades and You are under attack!
a convenient place from which to snipe at enemies.
In addition, the devious humanoids have hidden a Tactics
number of mantraps beneath the forest litter in the The kobolds attack almost immediately. They won’t
clearing. These spiked mechanical jaws can close give the characters more than a few seconds to scan
with bone-snapping force, holding a victim in place the clearing before initiative is rolled—too short a time
until he or she can pry the jaws open again. for active Perception checks. After that, characters
The kobolds are not expecting trouble, but Varza must devote actions to making Perception checks,
has commanded they be vigilant. There are cur- and the kobolds intend to keep them too busy for that.
rently eight kobolds hunkered down behind the The kobolds remain behind the fallen trees for as
two fallen trees in the clearing watching for any long as possible, peppering the characters with jave-
signs of intruders. The kobolds are taking pains to lins until they run out or the characters have closed in
stay out of sight and have a passive Stealth check to melee with them. Once kobolds are in melee, they
of 18. Should the characters attempt to sneak into use their mobility to gain advantageous positions,
the clearing, they must succeed at a DC 12 Stealth to threaten ranged attackers, to keep away from the
check to beat the kobolds’ passive Perception. If the most dangerous opponents, and to draw characters
characters fail to spot the hiding kobolds, the heroes into the traps, if they haven’t been detected already.
are surprised. Note that each mantrap patch actually consists of
four independently-trapped squares.
When only four kobolds remain, a single kobold
tunneler tries to break away from combat. Unless the
characters can prevent it, the kobold runs into the
cavern to warn its friends in area 2.
54
4 Kobold Tunnelers (K) Level 1 Minion Skirmisher 4 Kobold Quickblades (Q) Level 1 Skirmisher
Small natural humanoid, kobold XP 25 each Small natural humanoid, kobold XP 100 each
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion. Initiative +5 HP 29; Bloodied 14 Initiative +5
AC 15, Fortitude 12, Reflex 14, Will 12 Perception +1 AC 15, Fortitude 12, Reflex 14, Will 12 Perception +1
Speed 6 Darkvision Speed 6 Darkvision
Standard Actions Standard Actions
m Javelin (weapon) F At-Will m Short Sword (weapon) F At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +6 vs. AC Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +6 vs. AC
Hit: 4 damage. Hit: 1d6 + 3 damage. The attack deals 2 extra damage per
r Javelin (weapon) F At-Will (3/encounter) square the kobold has shifted since the start of its turn.
Attack: Ranged 10/20 (one creature); +6 vs. AC Move Actions
Hit: 4 damage. Fleet Feet F At-Will
Minor Actions Effect: The kobold shifts up to 3 squares.
Shifty F At-Will Minor Actions
Effect: The kobold shifts 1 square. Shifty F At-Will
Triggered Actions Effect: The kobold shifts 1 square.
Narrow Escape F At-Will Skills Athletics +4, Stealth +8, Thievery +8
Trigger: A close or an area attack hits or misses the kobold. Str 8 (–1) Dex 17 (+3) Wis 13 (+1)
Effect (Immediate Interrupt): The kobold rolls a saving throw. If Con 13 (+1) Int 9 (–1) Cha 10 (+0)
it succeeds, it shifts 3 squares. Alignment Evil Languages Draconic
Skills Athletics +4, Stealth +8, Thievery +8 Equipment leather armor, light shield, short sword
Str 8 (–1) Dex 16 (+3) Wis 12 (+1)
Con 12 (+2) Int 7 (–1) Cha 10 (+1)
Alignment evil Languages Common, Draconic 2 Mantrap Patches (T) Level 1 Minion Trap
Equipment leather armor, 3 javelins Object XP 100 each
Detect Perception DC 21 Initiative —
HP 26
AC 15, Fortitude 13, Reflex 7, Will —
Immune necrotic, poison, psychic, forced movement, all condi-
tions, ongoing damage
Triggered Actions
M Attack F At-Will
Trigger: A creature enters a trapped square.
Attack (Opportunity Action): Melee 0 (creature on the trapped
square); +4 vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d6 +3 damage, and the target is immobilized (save ends).
Countermeasures
F Disable: Thievery DC 12. Success: A single trapped square
no longer functions.
F Avoid: Athletics DC determined by distance jumped. Suc-
cess: The character jumps over the trapped squares.
55
2: The Roaring
When the characters enter the cavern, read:
Cavern A swift, dark stream flows through the center of this
lightless cavern. The water flows to the south before falling
Encounter Level 3 (XP 800) into a gaping pit in the floor and crashing down into unseen
4 kobold dragonshields (D)
depths below. The rushing water fills the cavern
3 kobold slingers (S)
with thunderous noise, leaving you all but deaf
1 kobold tunneler (K)
to the danger that may lurk in the darkness.
Setup When the characters see the kobolds,

This small cavern is bisected by a swiftly running
read:
stream that flows south into a shaft in the cavern
Six kobolds stand on the eastern side of the
floor, where it plunges 20 feet before crashing into an
cavern, using the rushing stream as a natural
underground lake. The falling water makes a terrible
barrier between them and you. They grip an
noise, and the kobolds here are all but deaf to intrud-
assortment of melee and ranged weapons and
ers. Because of the noise, all creatures in this area
look quite ready to use them.
suffer a -5 penalty to Perception checks. Conversation
is possible only with adjacent creatures, and even Tactics
then only by shouting.
When combat begins, the slingers open
If one of the kobold minions from area 1 managed
up on the heroes with special shot aimed
to warn the kobolds in this area, they are on alert
at obvious barbarians, fighters, or other
and actively looking for intruders. In that event, the
melee types. The dragonshields stand their
kobolds here do not suffer the -5 penalty to Percep-
ground and wait for the characters to close
tion for the purpose of spotting enemies entering the
for melee.
cavern but have their full passive Perception score of
In melee, the kobold dragonshields use
18. The kobolds still suffer the penalty for all other
dragonshield tactics to move into flanking
Perception checks during the encounter.
positions. They won’t shy away from trying
After the kobold minion from area 1 warned the
to bull-rush enemies into the stream or
kobolds in this area, it intended to move on and warn
the pit if a good opportunity arises. Their
Varza and the kobolds in Karonzaxuss’ lair. At the
main tactic, however, is to defend their
beginning of this encounter, however, the minion is
side of the stream in the hope that the
still present, behind the dragonshields at the southern
intruders rush across it. The slingers avoid
end of the cavern. It leaves the map at its first oppor-
melee when possible, using shifty to keep
tunity, so characters with high initiative scores may
away from close combat and their ranged
have a chance to kill it with a ranged attack before it
attacks against enemies that seem reluc-
can escape and warn Varza in area 3.
tant to cross the stream.
56
Features of the Area 4 Kobold Dragonshields (D)

Small natural humanoid (reptile)
Level 2 Soldier
XP 125 each
3 Kobold Slingers (S)
Small natural humanoid
Level 1 Artillery
XP 100 each
Illumination: Darkness. HP 36; Bloodied 18 Initiative +4 HP 24; Bloodied 12 Initiative +3
Ceiling: 20 feet high. AC 18, Fortitude 14, Reflex 13, Will 13 Perception +2 AC 13, Fortitude 12, Reflex 14, Will 12 Perception +2
Pit: The pit is a 10-foot-wide vertical shaft, Speed 5 Darkvision Speed 6 darkvision
hundreds of feet deep, that eventually connects to Standard Actions Standard Actions
m Short Sword (weapon) F At-Will m Dagger (weapon) F At-Will
a subterranean river. However, it is filled almost
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +7 vs. AC Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. AC
entirely with water so that the waterline is only 20
Hit: 1d6 + 6 damage. Hit: 1d6 + 3 damage.
feet below the cavern floor. A character falling into Effect: The kobold marks the target until the end of the r Sling (weapon) F At-Will
the pit takes 1d10 damage. The water in the pit is kobold’s next turn. Attack: Ranged 20 (one creature); +8 vs. AC
quite turbulent, so that it takes a DC 15 Athletics M Dirty Tricks (weapon) F Encounter Hit: 1d6 + 5 damage.
check to tread water and stay afloat. Climbing out of Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +5 vs. Reflex R Special Shot (weapon) F At-Will (3/encounter)
the pit takes a DC 10 Athletics check. Hit: 2d6 + 7 damage, and the target is immobilized until the Attack: Ranged 20 (one creature); +8 vs. AC
Rubble: Squares with rubble are difficult terrain. end of the kobold’s next turn. Hit: 1d6 + 5 damage plus one of the following effects
Miss: Half damage, and the target is slowed until the end of the (roll a d6):
These rubble piles are large enough to offer cover to
kobold’s next turn. 1 2 Stinkpot: The target takes a -2 penalty to attack rolls
adjacent creatures of Small size or smaller.
Minor Actions (save ends).
Rushing Stream: The stream is 3 feet deep and Shifty 3 4 Firepot (fire): The target takes ongoing 2 fire damage
flowing swiftly. A character who makes an Athlet- Effect: The kobold shifts 1 square. (save ends).
ics check (DC 11, or DC 21 without a running start) Triggered Actions 5 6 Gluepot: The target is immobilized (save ends).
can leap safely across it. Any creature that enters the Dragonshield Tactics F At-Will Minor Actions
water suffers the following attack as an immediate Trigger: An enemy adjacent to the kobold shifts or an enemy Shifty F At-Will
reaction: +3 vs. Reflex; the target is knocked prone moves to a square adjacent to the kobold. Effect: The kobold shifts 1 square.
Effect (Immediate Reaction): The kobold shifts 1 square. Skills Stealth +8
and is pushed 3 squares downstream toward the pit.
Skills Athletics +8, Stealth +7, Thievery +7 Str 9 (–1) Dex 17 (+3) Wis 12 (+1)
A creature that starts its turn in the stream is pushed
Str 14 (+3) Dex 13 (+2) Wis 12 (+2) Con 12 (+1) Int 9 (–1) Cha 10 (+0)
3 squares downstream before it can take any other Con 12 (+2) Int 9 (+0) Cha 10 (+1) Alignment Evil Languages Common, Draconic
action. A prone creature in the stream must make Alignment Evil Languages Common, Draconic Equipment leather armor, dagger, sling, 20 sling bullets, 3
a DC 13 Acrobatics or Athletics check. A creature Equipment scale armor, light shield, short sword rounds of special shot
dragged into the pit by the current can make a saving
throw as normal to avoid falling into the water below.
57
3: Lair of When the characters see Taloklaxus, read: When the characters see Taloklaxus, they can make a
In the southern end of the room, near the bloodstained DC 10 Nature check to recognize him as an adaman-
Karonzaxus corpses of several humans, crouches a dragon the size of a tine wyrmling. This check is sufficient to tell them
large wolf. Its scales are a dull, iron gray and its large head that adamantine dragons are not usually evil and do
Encounter Level 5 (XP 1,175) is armed with a formidable beak. It does not stir when you not normally associate with kobolds.
3 kobold tunnelers (K)
enter, and only the whip-crack screech of a kobold voice to
3 kobold quickblades (Q)
the east manages to push it reluctantly to its feet.
Taloklaxus (T)
Varza (V)
Setup
This cavern was once the lair of the adamantine
dragon Karonzaxus. It has become in many ways a
prison for her offspring, the adamantine wyrmling
Taloklaxus.
When the characters enter the cavern, read:

A slow-moving stream flowing west to east divides this
large cavern in half. At first glance, the water looks shallow
enough to simply wade across. In the southwestern portion
of the room, the skeleton of a large dragon lies curled nose to
tail. Only shreds of flesh and scales still cling to its bones.
Varza has been forcing Taloklaxus to fight and kill

unarmed humanoids from local goblin and kobold
tribes, and recently, she has been kidnapping inno-
cent travelers from beyond the King’s Wall to further
sharpen Taloklaxus’s fighting skills.
Taloklaxus felt no remorse about slaying the
goblins, kobolds, and other evil humanoids he was
initially forced to battle. However, killing the humans
and other civilized folk Varza captured from beyond
the King’s Wall has brought about feelings of remorse,
leaving the wyrmling confused and depressed. He is
for the moment still Varza’s creature, however, and
follows her commands.
58
When the characters see kobolds, read: Turning Taloklaxus lend weight to the words and actions of your com-
The dragonling is not the only danger in this cavern. Over Skill Challenge panions. You grant a +2 bonus to one ally’s next
half a dozen kobolds lurk in the shadows, including a tall, Level 5 (XP 400) Diplomacy or Intimidate check made as part of this
gray-scaled specimen shouting orders to the other kobolds The characters must convince Taloklaxus his true skill challenge.
in the rasping Draconic tongue. enemies are Varza and her kobold minions. Success: The characters persuade Taloklaxus that
Complexity: 2 (requires 6 successes before 3 they are not his enemies, and his true enemies are the
The kobolds here may be expecting trouble if the failures). kobolds who forced him to commit atrocities unwor-
kobold tunneler from area 2 was able to warn them of Special: Any character that speaks Draconic gains thy of an adamantine dragon. How fully he joins in
the characters’ presence. If this happens, add an addi- a +2 bonus to all primary skill checks made as part of the fight depends on how many failures the characters
tional kobold tunneler to this encounter. Even if they this skill challenge. scored during the skill challenge.
received no warning, the kobold tunnelers and quick- Once the skill challenge begins, it is impera- F 0 Failures: the dragon is enraged. He fights as an
blades in the southern end of the cavern are watching tive that the characters keep up their arguments to ally and causes full damage with his attacks.
the entrance to this area, and the characters need a Taloklaxus. On any round that the characters do not F 1 Failure: the dragon switches sides but is still con-
Stealth check of 12 to enter without being noticed. attempt a primary skill check, they earn one failure. fused. He fights as an ally but with a –4 penalty on
If they are carrying a light source, the kobolds will Once a character damages Taloklaxus on a given his damage rolls.
notice them automatically in the darkness. round, all subsequent skill checks made as part of this F 2 Failures; the dragon is even more confused than
Once combat begins, Varza shouts commands skill challenge during that round suffer a -2 penalty. before. He takes wing and tries to fly out of the
to Taloklaxus in Draconic from the eastern side Primary Skills: Diplomacy, Intimidate. cavern without attacking anyone. Characters will
of the cavern, urging the wyrmling to slay the Diplomacy (DC 13, standard action; 1 success, no find him curled up outside after the fight.
intruders. Taloklaxus, however, is racked by guilt maximum): By appealing to the wyrmling’s intel-
over the humans he killed recently, and so fights only lect and sense of reason, you try to convince him the Failure: If the characters fail to persuade Talokla-
halfheartedly. Until it becomes bloodied, the dragon kobolds do not have his best interests at heart. xus that they are not his enemies, his confusion turns
has a –4 penalty on all of its damage rolls. Intimidate (DC 21, standard action; 1 success, no to blind rage. He attacks the characters with furious
Every turn on which Taloklaxus attacks a player maximum): Your words carry a subtle threat. You try aggression and causes full damage with his attacks.
character, allow that character to attempt a DC 13 to convince the wyrmling that fighting you can only The heroes must fight the wyrmling and may be
Insight check. If the check succeeds, the character result in pain and death. forced to kill him.
realizes that the wyrmling is holding back on its Secondary Skills: Nature, Religion.
attacks. Once a character has succeeded at one of Nature (DC 13, minor action; no successes): You
these Insight checks, the characters can attempt the have a keen understanding of dragonkind, and your
Turning Taloklaxus skill challenge to win Taloklaxus knowledge can help your companions choose the
over to their side against Varza. Let the players come right words to sway the adamantine wyrmling. You
up with this idea on their own! Don’t just tell them, grant a +2 bonus to one ally’s next Diplomacy or
“now you can try a skill challenge.” Intimidate check made as part of this skill challenge.
Religion (DC 21, minor action, no successes):
You invoke the name of Bahamut, the great plati-
num dragon and father to all metallic dragons to
59
Tactics point to finish off a seriously wounded character with Varza,

Kobold Wyrmpriest
Level 5 Elite Artillery (Leader)
another sonic orb. She resorts to melee only when
In the first round of combat, the kobold tunnelers Small natural humanoid (reptile), kobold XP 400
there is no other option, and happily sacrifices one HP 100; Bloodied 50 Initiative +6
hurl their javelins at characters, while the kobold
of her kobold tunnelers to keep the characters busy AC 19, Fortitude 15, Reflex 17, Will 17 Perception +6
quickblades use nearby rubble to hide. Taloklaxus
while her breath weapon recharges. Speed 6 darkvision
waits for the characters to cross the stream before
Saving Throws +2
attacking, while Varza waits for the characters to
engage Taloklaxus, then opens up with sonic orb, tar-
Features of the Area Action Points 1
Illumination: Darkness. Standard Actions

geting likely spellcasters. m Spear (weapon) F At-Will
Ceiling: 20 feet high.
In melee, the kobold quickblades team up on a Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +10 vs. AC
Corpses: There are six fresh corpses in the south- Hit: 1d8 + 8 damage.
single character, using quick blade each round to gain
ern end of the chamber. They have all been killed by R Sonic Orb (thunder) F At-Will
flanking positions and to boost their damage. The
Taloklaxus and bear wounds one would expect from Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); +10 vs. Reflex
tunnelers use similar tactics, relying on shifty and
the teeth, claws, and breath weapon of an adamantine Hit: 2d6 + 6 thunder damage, and the target is deafened (save
narrow escape. Taloklaxus engages the heroes reluc-
dragon. Careful examination of the corpses reveals ends).
tantly and fights halfheartedly, pulling some of the C Dragon Breath (thunder) F Recharge 6
that three match the descriptions of the missing
power from his melee attacks (–4 penalty to damage Attack: Close blast 3 (creatures in blast); +9 vs. Fortitude
woodcutters in the Woeful Woodwives hook. Squares
rolls). He focuses his attacks against characters wear- Hit: 2d6 + 8 thunder damage, and the target is dazed until the
with corpses are difficult terrain.
ing the heaviest armor, hoping that the armor will end of Varza’s next turn.
Dragon Skeleton: The remains of Karonzaxus Miss: Half damage.
turn aside his claws and teeth. He is still too young
lie tumbled in a bony heap against the wall in the Minor Actions
and inexperienced to realize that his adamantine
southwest corner of the cavern. Her body has been Incite Faith F Encounter
claws slice easily through armor (the reason why his
reduced to little more than a skeleton by the adven- Effect: One kobold ally within 10 squares of Varza gains 5 tem-
attacks all target Reflex rather than AC). Taloklaxus
turers that slew her and the kobolds that now reside porary hit points and can shift 1 square.
does use double attack each round, because he knows Shifty F At-Will
in her lair. In their haste to butcher their prize,
how Varza expects him to fight. He does not use his Effect: Varza shifts 1 square.
Karonzaxus’s killers left a large number of scales on
breath weapon until he is bloodied. Skills Stealth +12, Thievery +12, Nature +11
the adamantine dragon’s belly. Although it is a grisly
If the characters fail the Turning Taloklaxus skill Str 12 (+3) Dex 18 (+6) Wis 18 (+6)
task, the characters can collect enough scales for Ikos Con 14 (+4) Int 12 (+3) Cha 13 (+3)
challenge, then the adamantine wyrmling fights
Ironbelly to work into a shield or suit of armor. Alignment Evil Languages Common, Draconic
with every ounce of his ability, coordinating with
Rubble: Squares with rubble are difficult terrain. Equipment hide armor, spear
kobold allies and using his breath weapon as often as
These piles are large enough to offer cover to adjacent
possible.
creatures of Small size or smaller.
While the characters are fighting Taloklaxus,
Stream: This stream is slow-moving, but it is 3 feet
Varza continues to attack them from afar with sonic
deep, which makes it difficult terrain.
orb. If any of the kobold quickblades is bloodied,
she uses incite faith to bolster their hit points of and
allow them to move into more advantageous posi-
tions. Varza uses her breath weapon if one or more
characters close into melee range and uses her action
60
3 Kobold Tunnelers (K) Level 1 Minion Skirmisher 3 Kobold Quickblades (Q) Level 1 Skirmisher Taloklaxus, Adamantine Level 5 Elite Soldier
Small natural humanoid, kobold XP 25 each Small natural humanoid, kobold XP 100 each Dragon Wyrmling (T)
HP 1; a missed attack never damages a minion. Initiative +5 HP 29; Bloodied 14 Initiative +5 Medium natural magical beast XP 400
AC 15, Fortitude 12, Reflex 14, Will 12 Perception +1 AC 15, Fortitude 12, Reflex 14, Will 12 Perception +1 HP 126; Bloodied 63 Initiative +8
Speed 6 Darkvision Speed 6 Darkvision AC 21, Fortitude 20, Reflex 18, Will 17 Perception +3
Standard Actions Standard Actions Speed 5 , Fly 6 (hover) darkvision
m Javelin (weapon) F At-Will m Short Sword (weapon) F At-Will Resist 5 thunder
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +6 vs. AC Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +6 vs. AC Saving Throws +2
Hit: 4 damage. Hit: 1d6 + 3 damage. The attack deals 2 extra damage per Action Points 1
r Javelin (weapon) F At-Will (3/encounter) square the kobold has shifted since the start of its turn. Standard Actions
Attack: Ranged 10/20 (one creature); +6 vs. AC Move Actions m Bite (thunder) F At-Will
Hit: 4 damage. Fleet Feet F At-Will Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. Reflex
Minor Actions Effect: The kobold shifts up to 3 squares. Hit: 1d6 + 6 damage, plus 1d6 thunder damage.
Shifty F At-Will Minor Actions m Claw F At-Will
Effect: The kobold shifts 1 square. Shifty F At-Will Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +8 vs. Reflex
Triggered Actions Effect: The kobold shifts 1 square. Hit: 1d8 + 9 damage.
Narrow Escape F At-Will Skills Athletics +4, Stealth +8, Thievery +8 M Double Attack F At-Will
Trigger: A close or an area attack hits or misses the kobold. Str 8 (–1) Dex 17 (+3) Wis 13 (+1) Effect: The dragon makes two claw attacks
Effect (Immediate Interrupt): The kobold rolls a saving throw. If Con 13 (+1) Int 9 (–1) Cha 10 (+0) C Breath Weapon (thunder) F Recharge when first bloodied
it succeeds, it shifts 3 squares. Alignment Evil Languages Draconic Attack: Close blast 4 (all creatures in blast); +8 vs. Fortitude
Skills Athletics +4, Stealth +8, Thievery +8 Equipment leather armor, light shield, short sword Hit: 3d6 + 4 thunder damage.
Str 8 (–1) Dex 16 (+3) Wis 12 (+1) Skills Insight +8
Con 12 (+2) Int 7 (–1) Cha 10 (+1) Str 18 (+6) Dex 15 (+4) Wis 13 (+3)
Alignment evil Languages Common, Draconic Con 15 (+4) Int 10 (+2) Cha 10 (+2)
Equipment leather armor, 3 javelins Alignment Unaligned Languages Draconic
61
Eye on Dark Sun
The Broken
Builders
by Rodney Thompson F illustration by Jason A. Engle
62
Eye on Dark Sun
Athas is a dangerous world where hope ruler feared the elemental powers. The cultists fled trapped elemental that has lain imprisoned since
dies, wilting under the burning sun. Every into exile where, over the course of many generations, before memory.
they came to believe that the reason Ablach-Re feared From their beginnings as exiles from Raam, the
day, its people face starvation, slavery,
the elementals they worshiped was because, one day, Broken Builders have been forced to hide their true
and tyranny. The burnt world of Athas is elemental forces would clear away the ruins of Athas beliefs and affiliations in order to survive in the
literally forsaken by the gods, and there and rebuild a more perfect world. These cultists came city-states. Part of what makes the Broken Builders
is precious little hope of respite from its to be known as the Broken Builders. Though the cult so dangerous is that they look like anyone else; the
dangers. Why, then, would so many remains secretive, it has spread over the years so that merchant in the market, the templar, and the noble-
of its inhabitants cling to their meager it now has cells in each of the seven city-states. man alike could be members of the Broken Builders.
The basic philosophy held by the Broken Build- They come from all walks of life and are united only
lives when promise of rebirth is not so
ers is simple: they must do their best to ensure that by a singular philosophy that transcends status. They
far away? All the people of Athas need the world becomes so utterly devastated that the aren’t necessarily evil people or malicious agents
to do is finish the job that was started elemental beings can fully shatter it in preparation for of chaos. Most are intelligent citizens who see little
long ago and destroy what is left of their rebuilding Athas the way it was meant to be. Unlike reason to cling to a world that is devastated beyond
surroundings—clearing the rubble of a most people on Athas, the Broken Builders have no repair; they would rather see it ended entirely and
ruined world so that a new one can be quarrel with defilers. They believe that defiling magic reformed anew.
was a flaw in the creation of the world. Flaw or not, The Broken Builders have little in the way of iden-
raised in its place.
defiling magic is reality on Athas, and although it is tifiable practices, though most cells do some of the
At least, that is what the Broken Builders believe. the reason for the sorry condition of the world, it is same things. Broken Builders offer shelter to arcane
The Broken Builders hold firm to the belief that the also a tool that the Broken Builders can use to bring spellcasters, including defilers, and hide them from
destruction of Athas up to this point has been merely about the remaking of the world by the elementals. the templars. They use what resources and influence
a precursor to an even greater change, one that will Defiling magic will unravel Athas the way a loose they have to encourage arcane spellcasting of all types.
occur only when the world has been utterly and com- string unravels a poorly-woven rug. Broken Builder cells often have among them elemen-
pletely devastated. Once that time comes, the ruins of Furthermore, the Broken Builders believe that tal priests, to whom they funnel resources in order
Athas will be brushed aside and a new, verdant, cool the world itself imprisons the elemental powers and to increase the presence of elemental power in the
world built where life is good and easy. limits their ability to remake Athas. In the Broken city-states. Cells with wealthy patrons (nobles or mem-
The Broken Builders originated in Raam as an Builders’ view of the world, those scholars who label bers of the merchant houses) sometimes set up secret
elemental-worshiping cult. Followers worshiped ele- elemental forces as chaotic bringers of destruction do schools where elemental priests teach other members
mental powers of all kinds. This was one of the many so from a fundamental misunderstanding of reality: of the cell to harness elemental and arcane power.
religions that Ablach-Re attempted to wipe away the elementals are not bent on causing destruction, More active groups of Broken Builders take a
when she had her supposed revelation. When this they are trying to free themselves—albeit violently— stronger hand in bringing about their goals. Some
happened, the cultists believed that Ablach-Re was in order to make a better world. Rumors from Urik have been known to openly attack templars and other
specifically targeting them, which in turn reinforced tell that some of Hamanu’s templars broke up a cell servants of the sorcerer-kings in the hope of provok-
their belief that, for some reason, their city-state’s of Broken Builders and uncovered a plot to free a ing an overwhelming, destructive response. Others
63
Eye on Dark Sun
have staged attacks on dune traders, merchants, and Defilers are lured to the Broken Builders by the Encounters
ordinary citizens in order to cause panic and set off same sense of acceptance and offer of resources that
Broken Builder cultists often ally themselves with
riots. Other activities including summoning elemen- draws preservers to the Veiled Alliance. The Broken
unwitting inhabitants of the city-states. They pretend
tals in the middle of crowded areas, hunting down Builders don’t just allow defilers to destroy the land
to be normal citizens and even members of other
and attacking members of the Veiled Alliance (the in order to produce their potent spells, they actually
organizations, all the while tricking their unsuspect-
Broken Builders seek the destruction of the Veiled encourage the use of the very defiling magic that
ing allies into doing things that further the goals of
Alliance in order to make themselves the only viable probably caused these defilers to become outcasts in
the cult. Additionally, the Broken Builders frequently
shelter for arcane spellcasters), and using rituals to the first place.
ally themselves with elementals that roam the wastes
call forth powerful bursts of elemental magic with the
of Athas, or tame creatures and infuse them with
sole intent of causing as much damage as possible. Lore
elemental magic in order to create their own elemen-
History (DC 20): The Broken Builders are a
tal servitors.
Broken Builder Cultists group of troublemakers and malcontents who are
Broken Builders carry no identifying marks, but bent on the destruction of the world. They worship About the Author
their cells exist in almost every city-state. As foes, elemental powers and have no qualms about allow- Rodney Thompson is an RPG designer at Wizards of the
they are formidable because of their zeal and their ing defiling magic to be used in their presence. Most Coast. Originally from Chattanooga, TN, his credits for
D ungeons & Dragons® include Monster Manual 3, the Dark
uncanny knack for survival and escape. They scatter Broken Builders are ordinary citizens that have been Sun Campaign Setting, Player Essentials: Heroes of the Fallen
in all directions as soon as they earn the scrutiny of a recruited into the cult. They believe that, once the Lands, Player Essentials: Heroes of the Forgotten Kingdoms, and
sorcerer-king, then regroup and get back to their tasks world is fully destroyed, it will be reshaped into a par- Monster Vault.
in a matter of days. adise by elemental forces. They possess the raw belief
Most cultists of the Broken Builders are every- of zealots and the cunning of the Veiled Alliance.
day citizens who have been recruited or lured with The cult has remained hidden from the templars of
promises of a better tomorrow. The recruiters tend the various city-states since its arising and exile from
to be sneaky and devious but charismatic people Raam long ago.
who use their talent for deception and persuasion to
bolster the cult’s numbers. Many of these recruiters
receive psionic training from schools of the Way. Such
training is paid for by noble patrons of the Broken
Builders. Students learn to psionically disguise them-
selves and their movements.
64
Eye on Dark Sun
Broken Builder Cultist Level 2 Soldier Broken Builder Recruiter Level 2 Lurker Broken Builder Defiler Level 2 Artillery
Medium natural humanoid XP 125 Medium natural humanoid XP 125 Medium natural humanoid XP 125
Speed 6 Speed 6 Speed 6
Traits Resist 5 necrotic Resist 5 necrotic
O Fanatical Aura F Aura 1 Traits Traits
Any enemy that starts its turn adjacent to the cultist provokes O Elemental Blessing F Aura 10 O Whipping Winds F Aura 1
opportunity attacks if it moves or shifts out of this aura. Allies within the aura gain resist 5 to acid, cold, fire, lightning, and The defiler slides any enemy that ends its turn in the defiler’s aura 2
Standard Actions thunder damage. squares as a free action.
m Obsidian Short Sword (weapon) F At-Will Standard Actions Standard Actions
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +7 vs. AC m/r Bone Javelin (weapon) F At-Will m Bone Dagger (weapon) F At-Will
Hit: 2d6 + 3 damage. Attack: Melee 1 or Ranged 5 (one creature); +7 vs. AC Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +9 vs. AC
Effect: Until the end of the cultist’s next turn, each time the target Hit: 2d6 damage. Hit: 2d4 + 2 damage.
makes an attack against an enemy that is not a Broken Builder Miss: Half damage. r Bolt of Fire (fire, force, implement) F At-Will
cultist, the target takes damage as though it had been hit by Effective Recruitment (charm) F At-Will Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); +7 vs. Reflex
this attack. Effect: The recruiter chooses one adjacent enemy who can hear Hit: 2d6 + 6 fire and force damage.
M Rapid Strikes (weapon) F Recharge 5 6 and understand the recruiter. Until the end of the recruiter’s Miss: Half damage.
Attack: Melee 1 (one or two creatures); +7 vs. AC next turn, all melee and ranged attacks made against the R Lightning Javelin (force, implement, lightning) F Recharge 4 5 6
Hit: 2d6 + 3 damage. recruiter instead target the chosen enemy. Additionally, while Attack: Ranged 10 (one or two creatures); +7 vs. Reflex
Effect: Until the end of the cultist’s next turn, each time the target this effect is active, the recruiter deals an extra 2d6 damage Hit: 2d10 + 2 lightning damage. On a critical hit, this attack deals an
makes an attack against an enemy that is not a Broken Builder with attacks against the chosen enemy. extra 5 force damage and knocks the target prone.
cultist, the target takes damage as though it had been hit by Minor Actions R Thunder Fist (implement, thunder) F Encounter
this attack. Psionic Mask (illusion) F At-Will Attack: Ranged 10 (one creature); +7 vs. Fortitude
M Deep Wound (weapon) F Encounter Effect: The recruiter creates a psionic illusion that allows the Hit: 2d6 + 11 thunder damage and the target is deafened (save ends).
Attack: Melee 1 (one or two creatures); +7 vs. AC recruiter to appear as any Medium humanoid until it uses Miss: Half damage and the target is deafened until the end of the defil-
Hit: 2d6 + 3 damage and ongoing 5 damage (save ends). psionic mask again or until it drops to 0 hit points. To create an er’s next turn.
Miss: Half damage and ongoing 5 damage (save ends). illusion of a specific individual’s form, the recruiter must have Triggered Actions
Effect: Until the end of the cultist’s next turn, each time the target seen that individual. Other creatures can make a DC 20 Insight Arcane Defiling F At-Will (1/Round)
makes an attack against an enemy that is not a Broken Builder check to discern the presence of the psionic illusion. Trigger: The defiler misses with an attack roll.
cultist, the target takes damage as though it had been hit by Triggered Actions Effect: Each of the defiler’s allies within 20 squares takes 5 necrotic
this attack. Scatter F At-Will damage and the defiler rerolls the triggering attack roll, taking
Triggered Actions Trigger: The cultist is hit by a close or area attack that also either result.
Scatter F At-Will includes one of its allies as a target. Scatter F At-Will
Trigger: The cultist is hit by a close or area attack that also Effect (Immediate Interrupt): The cultist shifts up to its speed. If the Trigger: The cultist is hit by a close or area attack that also includes one
includes one of its allies as a target. cultist ends this shift in a space outside of the area of the trig- of its allies as a target.
Effect (Immediate Interrupt): The cultist shifts up to its speed. If the gering attack, the attack does not hit the cultist. Effect (Immediate Interrupt): The cultist shifts up to its speed. If the
cultist ends this shift in a space outside of the area of the trig- Skills Bluff +8, Stealth +9 cultist ends this shift in a space outside of the area of the triggering
gering attack, the attack does not hit the cultist. Str 10 (+1) Dex 17 (+4) Wis 11 (+1) attack, the attack does not hit the cultist.
Str 17 (+4) Dex 14 (+3) Wis 8 (+0) Con 12 (+2) Int 12 (+2) Cha 14 (+3) Skills Arcana +8
Con 13 (+2) Int 10 (+1) Cha 13 (+2) Alignment Unaligned Languages Common Str 8 (+0) Dex 11 (+1) Wis 17 (+4)
Alignment Unaligned Languages Common Equipment bone javelin Con 13 (+2) Int 14 (+3) Cha 12 (+2)
Equipment obsidian short sword Alignment Evil Languages Common
Equipment bone dagger
65
Ed Greenwood’s
Eye on
the Realms
the Dracohar
by Ed Greenwood ✦ illustration by Wes Louie
Sinister dragon-headed humans—as opposed to the The Dread Hood The Dread Hood is named for the black hood
more brutish and reptilian lizard folk and certain he wears over his head. The fabric covering his face
During the last two summers, an unpredictable
snake-headed, human-bodied yuan-ti—have long been sometimes emits a tendril of smoke or mist that
scourge has bedeviled overland trade routes in an
a staple of Realms legend and scary fireside tales. reaches toward anyone he’s facing. (The power and
area bounded by the Farsea Swamp to the northeast,
Usually they feature as a fearsome alternative to the purpose of this isn’t known; it doesn’t appear to be an
Elturgard to the northwest, and the Snakewood to the
drow: ruthless, formidable raiders by night who pil- attack, but it does seem linked to the bandit’s anger.)
south. Refusing to be tricked by lures and seemingly
lage, murder, and carry off unfortunate humans to Under the hood, tales insist, is a red dragon head—
able to vanish when sought by spells, the Dread Hood
become slaves, food, or even breeding stock. on the shoulders of an otherwise “normal” athletic
doesn’t attack often—but he pounces on especially
So run the tales, but recent daytime sightings of human male.
choice cargoes and strikes at traveling merchants in
dragon-headed raiders have increased, coalescing The Dread Hood tells his followers he has the
widely different ways and places, making defense
around the Dread Hood of the trade roads. head of a dragon because of a wizard’s curse, but most
against him difficult. Thus far, this bandit leader has
sages don’t believe that. They say a few dragon-headed
been devastatingly successful, and his small, swift
humans have always lurked in the mountains all
band of warlocks, rogues, and fighters are utterly loyal
around the territory where the Dread Hood is active,
and disciplined.
and they believe the bandit leader is a member of this
66
Eye on the Realms
subrace, or clan of aberrations, or breed of monster. Never numerous and always seeking to hide their resulted in a body that failed him, consuming all its
Just what the dragon-headed humans are, sages can’t natures from humans and others (because of the vitality in a futile internal war with itself.
agree on, although they can agree that they are cer- near-universal fear and hostility their red-dragonlike So, Kelkur ran out of time, dying before he could
tainly not dragonborn. heads evoke), the dracohar spread north and west transform his own aging body into some sort of super-
from their origins in a tiny wizard’s vale somewhere human monster, and before he could learn much
Andrammath’s Guide in the western Orsraun Mountains. If the Chronicler about the dracohar.
Over four decades ago, the now-dead sage Imbur can be believed, the dracohar are a real-life example
Andrammath (the famous—or infamous—“Chronicler of that recurring terror of legend: a runaway “new The Alchemy of Dracohar
of Amn”) published his Guide to the Peoples of Amn, breed” that began as the result of a wizard’s failed Individual dracohar are as capable of practicing and
in which he attempted to trace all nonpureblood attempt to breed servitor dragons. seeking to master alchemy as humans, though little
humans who settled and dwelt in Amn, down to In this case, the wizard was Kelkur the Mad, a evidence exists indicating that any have done so. In
intermarriages of specific individuals with humans. thoroughly unpleasant recluse. Although his servitor response to this, scholars advance the ancient sages’
From half-elves to apparently sterile ogre-human project did not yield him the tame dragons he sought, caution: “If you have not seen something, it does not
crossbreeds, Andrammath tirelessly noted all he the dracohar are one of his few successes. Their abil- follow that it does not exist to be seen.”
could uncover. His writings include sober record to ity to use breath weapon attacks and their agility, wits, However, the few human alchemists who have
wild rumor, as well as the presence and details of and deftness made them effective perimeter guards examined dracohar report that the lung-sac organs
every recorded intelligent Amnian who was not—in for Kelkur’s vale (which they kept clear of orcs and associated with its breath weapon attacks collapse
his opinion—wholly human. hobgoblins). Their essential stability and hardiness into gory ruin very swiftly after death—but that draco-
Today, copies of the Guide are few and far between. made them a stable race capable of outliving their har blood has several straightforward uses.
Many mentioned in it did not welcome their heritage creator, not a band of sterile “mules” or unique indi- In short, dracohar blood is already of general inter-
and doings being revealed—sometimes erroneously— viduals having no consistent abilities. Kelkur’s spells est to alchemists because of the following:
to all the Realms. So they took every opportunity they mastered them, making them utterly obedient—and F Dracohar blood can be used as the main
could to destroy, damage, or hide every copy of the confined to the vale—until his death. component in making elixir of dragonbreath
five-volume work. Andrammath eventually had to Kelkur attempted alchemical experiments with (Adventurer’s Vault, page 186) or a potion of
abandon work on a sixth, “update” volume and go into their flesh, blood, and scales, plus he tried to figure resistance against fire.
hiding, where he lived out his elder days pursuing his out a way he could acquire draconic breath weapon F Dracohar blood can be used in the creation of a
second great interest: the uses and properties of vari- attacks for his own body, but he made little progress. necklace of fireballs (Adventurer’s Vault, page 153),
ous wild mushrooms. His lack of progress wasn’t because dracohar “vitals” a ring of the phoenix (Adventurer’s Vault, page 161),
In the Guide, Andrammath wrote that dragon- lacked utility or because Kelkur failed in his inves- or (to a much lesser degree) a radiant weapon
headed humans are a “people” who have inhabited tigations, but because he spent most of his time in (Adventurer’s Vault, page 76).
central Faerûn for over a century (at least six or seven pursuit of his other great interest: finding and learn- F Distilled dracohar blood can be mixed with
generations, in instances he details), and call them- ing how to control all of the portals in the Realms. other (secret) ingredients to derive liquids
selves “the Dracohar.” The sage claimed dracohar are Since this project consumed so much of his time, equivalent in effect to black dragon bile
a race because they “bred true.” That is, if they inter- another side project he took on involved finding a (Adventurer’s Vault, page 193) or to a flame rose
breed with humans or dragonborn, the offspring are way to transform his body so that he could live longer. (Adventurer’s Vault, page 194), as well as several
always dracohar. Unfortunately, his attempts to transform himself virulent poisons.
67
Eye on the Realms
F Makers of magic armors are excited about the grounds and pens for herds of livestock they devour About the Author
at will, and farm alpine plants and (in caverns) edible Ed Greenwood is the man who unleashed the Forgotten
possible benefits (resistance to fire and increased
Realms on an unsuspecting world. He works in libraries,
melting points, suppleness rather than brittleness fungi. However, dracohar forage and hunt more than writes fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and even
in extreme temperatures) of slaking armor they farm, and they raid human settlements and cara- romance stories (sometimes all in the same novel), but he is
plates in dracohar blood during forging, but vans wherever available to seize human food, drink, still happiest churning out Realmslore, Realmslore, and more
Realmslore. There are still a few rooms in his house with
experiments have thus far yielded disappointing and weapons.
space left to pile up papers in . . .
and wildly varying—even contradictory—results. Something in their nature makes dracohar enjoy
In any of these cases, the DM may reduce the com- wines and liqueurs (but not ale) as most humans
ponent cost of an Enchant Item ritual or alchemical do—but to suffer inebriation only after consuming
formula by up to 10% if dracohar blood is used as part amounts that would render most humans uncon-
of the components. The exact reduction in cost and scious, poisoned, or violently ill. As a dwarf trail
the amount of dracohar blood required are left to the saying puts it: “Enter no drinking contests with a
DM. Dracohar blood is always hard to come by and, dragon-headed.”
as with residuum, is seldom available on the open
market. Typically, acquiring it is a quest in itself. Using Dracohar
in Your Campaign
Dracohar Clans Dracohar are nearly as varied as humans. If charac-
For self-protection, dracohar have always lived in ters encounter and fight dracohar in the course of
small “clans” of up to eight families, dwelling together their travels, here’s how to generate dracohar combat
and sending out fighting and hunting bands drawn statistics.
from members of all of a clan’s component families. F Begin with any human monster statistics block.
Dracohar display the same range of emotions, F Add the Dracohar Breath attack.
skills, aims, and mannerisms found in any sentient F Modify the creature’s level as desired (be sure to
race, but their own racial stereotypes are patience, use the updated numbers for damage by level
calmness even in battle or under great stress, and from the 4th Edition Rules Update.
being close-mouthed with anyone not of their clan.
(As the sage Rhondral of Memnon put it, dracohar Minor Actions
C Dracohar Breath (fire) F Encounter
“. . . say little and volunteer less, though what little
Attack: Close blast 3 (creatures in the blast); level +3 vs. Reflex
they do utter tends to be calm and polite. I’ve never
Hit: 2d6 + level fire damage.
heard a dracohar threaten, but have heard several
flatly promise dire consequences if those they were
The damage type is almost always fire, but other
addressing do certain things.”)
types of dracohar may exist with affinities to other
Dracohar are not known to venture deeply into
dragon species.
the Underdark, but they tend to keep to caverns and
mountain fastnesses, often competing with orcs for
this “home” terrain. They use alpine valleys as grazing
68
dunge o ncraft
Episode 31: What

More Can I Say by Ja m e s W yat t
H
illustration by Wayne England
It’s with a heavy load of regret that I announce this is So I figured I’d end my run in this illustrious chair
my final Dungeoncraft column. It’s the 31st column (previously occupied by the likes of Ray Winninger
I’ve written in this virtual space, and it’s seen the birth and Monte Cook) by summing up my philosophy of
of two campaigns—the second of which is still going campaign building, to end on a pithy note that ties it
strong. I enjoy writing about my campaign, I like shar- all together.
ing my insights into running the game as I discover I think a sentence I uttered during our annual “Art
them, and I like hearing feedback from readers who of the Dungeon Master” panel at PAX Prime this year
share in the pleasure of those discoveries. sums it up pretty well:
On the other hand, my job has changed signifi- “If no one is paying you for writing your campaign
cantly at least twice since I started writing this column material, plagiarize everything.”
almost three years ago. When I started, I was the Lead
Story Designer for D&D, sort of the right-brain part- Plagiarize Everything
ner of left-brain Rob Heinsoo, the Lead Mechanical
At the panel, a well-meaning DM asked if it was
Designer. About a year later, I was promoted to Design
all right for him to reuse material he wrote for one
Manager, and a year and a half after that I made a
campaign in his next one. As if, somehow, he’d be
lateral move to be Creative Manager—which is not too
depriving his new group of players, robbing them of
different from Lead Story Designer.
the experience of having something new and wonder-
I mention my job shifts because of the sad reality
ful created just for them.
that Dungeoncraft has increasingly fallen into the
Art patrons get to enjoy that experience, because
cracks—I end up writing it in the last moments before
they pay for it. Hence my answer: If your players are
it’s supposed to go online, squeezing it into the midst
art patrons who pay you for your work in creating your
of a very full schedule of design, management, and
campaign, by all means, earn your keep. Create new
meetings. I can’t keep that up—it’s too hard on me, and
material just for them. Along similar lines, if you’re
it’s not really fair to readers. You come to the pages of
planning to publish your campaign material and thus
Dungeon magazine expecting thoughtful, insightful
earn money for that work, it had better be original
advice that’s going to help make your game better. I’m
material or you could end up in legal trouble.
glad for the extent to which I’ve been able to provide
that, but I certainly feel like I could’ve done more if I’d
had more time to devote to each month’s column. 69
dunge o ncraft
Unless one of those two rare circumstances Creative Laziness One of the themes I keep coming back to is that,
applies to you, you must remember this important If there’s one theme running through the Dungeon despite my past experience with the game and my cur-
fact: Master’s Guide that I think defines my perspective and rent employment, I no longer believe that a DM’s most
You’re playing a game. sets it apart from past editions of that book, it’s that important and illustrious work is world-building. For
(Of course, if you’re in school and writing papers for even the Dungeon Master has a right to a life. I’m in the purposes of your game, a few strong themes, evoca-
class, for which you are not getting paid, don’t plagia- my 40s, married with a young teenager in the house, tive place-names, and memorable NPCs will get you a
rize anything!) working full-time and trying to make time for hob- lot more bang for your buck than a world map, exten-
There’s nothing wrong with spending time on your bies like music and theater that aren’t D&D. One of sive history, and dozens of unique cultural details.
hobby—that’s what hobbies are for. But no one should my key goals for the 4th Edition D&D game was to Tolkien was a world-builder, and generations of DMs
dictate to you how you spend your hobby time, and you make sure that the game allowed people like me to be have longed to follow in his footsteps. There’s nothing
should never feel obligated to spend more time on it DMs. Through the history of the game, it hasn’t always wrong with that—what’s wrong is making more practi-
than you want to. been easy to be a busy (or lazy) DM—even if you only cal, busy, or lazy DMs feel bad if they don’t share that
Thousands of pages of published adventures and ran published adventures and plagiarized everything, aspiration.
campaign settings are available. Thirty-five years’ sometimes the rule books (and the community of From that perspective, I’ve hit a couple of highlights
worth of material created for every edition of the game players) would make you feel guilty for it. I cited these of creative laziness:
represents vastly more material than any group of past DMGs in an article I wrote for the release of 4th F Start small! Start the campaign with a small start-
players could ever use. Use it! Edition: ing area and build outward from it.
For my Greenbrier campaign, I talked about stitch- F Steal maps: If you, like me, hate drawing maps,
ing together adventures from three different editions “What lies ahead will require the use of all your then steal them and modify them as necessary.
of D&D to form a campaign revolving around themes skill, put a strain on your imagination, bring F Pillage creatively: Steal elements and opponents
of corruption and Far Realm intrusion. For Aquela, your creativity to the fore, test your patience, and from published adventures even if you don’t use the
I’ve done something similar, adding my own past work exhaust your free time.”—1979 adventures as written.
on that world into the mix, aiming toward themes of F Hit the library! The fact that something was writ-
“Creating a campaign of your own is the most diffi-
chaotic annihilation, lawful domination, and magic ten for a past edition of the game is no reason not to
cult, but most rewarding, task a DM faces.”—2000
gone awry. One of my goals has been to show how you use it in your current game.
can use all the D&D books on your shelves, whether “Planning an entire campaign seems a daunting F The D&D World: Three different DMs can
they’re brand new releases or classics from the past, task, but don’t worry—you don’t have to plot out take the same basic starting material, found in
to build a campaign that’s uniquely yours. I’ve talked every detail right from the start. You can start off the DMG, and turn it into three very different
about looting published campaigns and using charac- with the basics, running a few adventures (whether campaigns.
ter backgrounds to tie published adventures into the published or those you design yourself ), and later F Steal from yourself! If you had good ideas in past
themes of your campaign. Essentially, I’ve been trying think about larger plotlines you want to explore. campaigns, there’s nothing wrong with using them
to encourage the process of rampant creative pillaging. You’re free to add as much or as little detail as you again.
Maybe a better way to put it is creative laziness—don’t wish.”—2008
do more (creative) work than you need to, and espe-
cially don’t do more than you want to.
70
dunge o ncraft
F Assist your brainstorming: I coined the term About the Author

“assisted brainstorming” to describe my process of James Wyatt is the Creative Manager for D&D R&D at
Wizards of the Coast. He was one of the lead designers for
generating ideas for my new campaign by browsing 4th Edition D&D and the primary author of the 4th Edition
through notes from my old campaigns. Dungeon Master’s Guide. He also contributed to the Eberron
F Weave in published adventures: Putting the Campaign Setting, and is the author of several Dungeons &
Dragons® novels set in the world of Eberron.
DMG’s advice to use in making a published adven-
ture part of your own campaign themes.
What Else to Say?

Given that my major theme for this column has been,
“Don’t do more work than you need to,” I feel that
I’m running out of things to talk about. In the final
analysis, that’s much more important than the numer-
ous tasks competing for my time in retiring from
Dungeoncraft: I think I’ve made my point. Belaboring
it runs counter to the whole message. If making a cam-
paign is easy, I shouldn’t need more than 30 columns
to tell you how to do it!
So there it is. Thanks for reading all over the years,
thanks for your input and feedback in forums and
conventions, and thanks for taking on the not-as-hard-
as-it-used-to-be-and-really-quite-rewarding job of
Dungeon Master. I hope it remains rewarding for you
and you keep having fun, whatever your level of time
investment in the job.
For all the stress of getting this column written
month after month, I’ve had a lot of fun with it. Most
importantly, my game has gotten better because of it.
My hope is that the same is true for you.
71
save my game
Essentials
Survival Guide

D
by Stephen Radney-MacFarland
illustration by Rob Alexander
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock If You Can Buy Only
for the past few months, you probably One …
know that the Dungeons & Dragons® Assuming—as I do in this column—that you are a
Essentials line is the new hotness. But you Dungeon Master who runs games at least occa-
may also be asking the question, “how sionally, the one Essentials product that I would
absolutely recommend getting first is the Rules
essential is it for me?” This month, I’ll
Compendium. First off, it’s a pretty handy book—it has
help you answer that question.
the grand majority of the rules for D&D, all updated
and compacted into a smaller, lighter, and easier-to-
If you are anything like me—a Dungeons &
transport 320-page tome. If like me you run some of
Dragons nerd—you’ll probably want to pick up all
your games away from your home, this book is the
the Essentials products out of a mixed sense of fanboy
next best thing to having it on Amazon’s Kindle appli-
curiosity and the need to have a complete D&D col-
cation with a tablet.
lection. But I also know that, with the state of the
Not only is it handy, there are a fair number of
economy, not all of you are as eager as me to part with
revisions and new and interesting stuff in the Rules
hard-earned cash, and you are probably wondering
Compendium. First and foremost, at least in my mind,
what in the Essentials line is … well, essential.
is the section on skill challenges (pages 157–163).
While much of it is a rehash of old information (and
there has been soooo much written on the subject of
skill challenges), there is some new tech there. The
first is a list of typical DCs that gives you a little more
guidance on what’s a good frequency of moderate
and hard checks to sprinkle through your challenges.
For you old warhorses, this will seem like common
sense, but it’s a boon for those who may still be having
trouble fine-tuning their skill challenges.
The second major bit of tech is advantages.
TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved. S e p t e m b e r 2 010 | D UNGEON 18 2
72
save my game
For skill challenges of complexity 3 or higher, advan- rituals. The new magic item rarity rules seem to be an old pro at the DMing game, these products will
tages are a way in which you, the DM, can add an partially designed to free up liquid treasure for other merely supplement your already formidable arsenal
“easy button.” There are four of these advantages uses, so for some of you, this will be a tad annoying. of tools with new monsters, adventures, advice, and
that allow you to gain more from a skill check suc- Rules Compendium also leaves out some of the rules for mapping aids. There are neat things you haven’t
cess or remove a failure instead of gaining a success. weapon properties in the game (, defensive, stout, and seen before, which is always a treat, but unless you
The rules on advantages also state that you should fan-favorite brutal) along with rules on double weap- are still feeling a little uneasy as a DM, you can live
add these rules to skill challenges of complexity 3 or ons. There is no mention of backgrounds (at least without them. I’ll be buying the Dungeon Master’s Kit
higher, so in a way they are a bit of stealth errata for backgrounds with mechanical elements), themes, for the new and updated DM’s Screen alone (though
all higher complexity skill challenges. the piloting vehicle rules, and some other things that I’m sure I will enjoy Rich Baker’s adventure, and the
Skill challenges aside, the entire chapter on skills tend to be more DM-centric, so they will poke their advice and rules presented in the DM’s book). As far
is a must read. There have been numerous adjust- heads up in the Dungeon Master’s Kit. If you use those as Monster Vault goes, I’m always a sucker for new
ments and tweaks to skills in current updates, and rules in your game, you will want to supplement your monsters.
they are all in Rules Compendium. There are even Rules Compendium with a cheat sheet. The same can be said for the Dungeon Tiles Master
a few new changes sprinkled here and there—for Set. If you missed out on earlier sets, you will want
instance, for characters trained in Arcana, detect- this. If you already have a bunch of dungeon tiles,
ing the presence of magic now only takes a standard
What About All That then you can afford to wait—put this on your holiday
action instead a full minute. No more waiting until
Other Stuff? wish list. You can never have too many dungeon tiles,
the end of the encounter to search for that magical The first thing to keep in mind is that the main at least in my opinion. My wife has a different opinion
loot! The chapter also contains the newest and great- goal of Essentials is to serve as a starting point for on the matter.
est incarnation of the Difficulty Class by Level chart. new players. That doesn’t mean current players At the end of the day, the Essentials line doesn’t
The math is better, and it is handled on a per-level can’t be excited about the new options presented change the game you’ve been playing since the
basis rather than every three levels. If you want to in Heroes of the Fallen Lands or Heroes of the Forgotten release of 4E. It codifies updates, and provides a new,
use it right away and get some great commentary on Kingdoms. Rules monkeys in particular will want arguably easier, and less expensive starting point
the changes, Stephen “Shoe” Shubert has a fantastic to use them. It doesn’t hurt you to be familiar with for new players. It’s a boon for those things alone. It
Design & Development article about it in this month’s these books, but they are written to be player- rather affects your ongoing campaign only when someone
issue of Dragon Magazine. than DM-focused, so don’t feel like you must have rolls up a new character using its options. Still, for
Rules Compendium also gives you information on them—leave that to your players. One thing you will the DM, it provides some great tools … and DMs love
the new magic item rarity scheme and a new way to want to check out is the updates to existing rules great tools.
randomly determine treasure per level. that are presented in Heroes of the Fallen Lands (and
While the Rules Compendium is a boon for any a similar file that will surely be released with Heroes
Dungeon Master, there are a few blind spots you of the Forgotten Kingdom). You also should read Mike
should be aware of. Information on rituals is slim, to Mearls’s explanation for the rationale driving some of
put it mildly. Rituals just get a general sidebar on page those changes.
134. If you’re waist deep in the paragon tier or higher, More DM love will come in later months with both
your players are probably finding more uses for the Dungeon Master’s Kit and Monster Vault. If you’re
S e p t e m b e r 2 010 | D UNGEON 18 2
73
save my game
Earn D&D Karma: On to the Letters! (“Tweak missile staff!”) or ignore the rule when I’m busy
with another player. Help would be much appreciated.
Become a Red Box/ If you’re new to this column, every month I endeavor
—Hjs102, from the Save My Game Group
Essentials Mentor to provide helpful advice to the Dungeon Master out
The one item I haven’t talked about is the D&D Starter in game space. Admittedly I focus on advice to newer
One of the great things about Dungeons & Dragons
Set, or so-called Red Box (well, because it’s red and DMs, using years accumulated wisdom, error, and
is that it is a game with a lot of breadth. Some players
it’s a box!). Most of you will only want to pick it up for observation to help them avoid problems and get out
really get into the roleplaying. Some groups really
the nostalgia value. Its Larry Elmore cover art and of DMing jams. I also do this by answering questions
get into the rules. Some of the best groups have a
full-on 1981 time machine text treatment feels like that you, the DM on the ground, send me through the
balanced love of both. It sounds like you have a lot of
coming home. Oh, and it looks oh-so sharp sitting in Save My Game group on the Wizards Community. If
rules monkeys.
the gaming cabinet! But more so than any Essential’s you have a problem, a question, or further suggestions
While I understand your concerns about slowing
product, this is a product that will see little use from a and insights for your fellow DM, I suggest you become
down the game, teamwork is also part of D&D, and
Dungeons & Dragons Insider. part of the Save My Game conversation there.
there are quite a few DMs who would love the level
That said, it is great point of introduction for the Here are a few of the questions posted on that
of teamwork, cooperation, and engagement that your
uninitiated, and you may want to become familiar group in the past month.
players are exhibiting. The best thing you can do may
with it for another reason—to mentor other potential be to try to not let it bother you. It’s going to be hard
players and Dungeon Masters. Lately a group of my Aid Another, Again and Again to stop even if you try, and you may end up accom-
students, maybe sick of hearing me wax philosophical My group has trouble roleplaying. We’ve been through plishing nothing except squashing their enthusiasm
about tabletop RPGs and D&D in particular, decided about five sessions, and they are about to reach level 3, but for the game.
to pick it up and have a go. These teenage and they still don’t get the roleplaying aspect of the game. They During my last session, the rogue in my group was
20-something video game fanatics are now hooked, continually pause to discuss tactics and rules wordings, so dead, and during the 8 hours it took for the wizard
and I’m having a blast guiding them through the finer that when the Diplomacy check is made it’s not entirely the to cast the Raise Dead ritual, the group had to figure
points of tabletop RPG fun. PC who made it. To a certain extent I’m fine with this; I out how to prepare for and harass an invasion from
Bear in mind I’m not running the game for them. allow two people to assist and let them give advice on how a very large hobgoblin army. During the discussion,
One of the great things about the Starter Set is that to phrase things. However, recently it has become a hassle the person playing the rogue kept giving advice to
it not only guides new players through the concepts in combat. Originally I did not stop it because they were the other characters. I reminded the player a couple
and procedures of the game, it also trains new DMs to getting used to their characters, but now I’m having trouble of times that her character was dead, and asked
run the game. It’s been a blast helping a budding DM with them planning out tactics that they would not be able her how she was having this conversation with the
find points of clarity with the rules and edge him on to do in a combat encounter. For instance, they go into other players. This flustered her a bit, because she
to greater adventure after the contents of that set have detailed plans of who should use what power and such. really wanted to participate in the game. She told
been exhausted. After all, helping create more DMs is How do I make them come up with their own decisions me, “These were conversations we had before I died
the best thing we can do for the hobby! instead of deciding as a group? I’ve tried giving them six during short and extended rests.” Good enough for
syllables per combat round, and they either make ridicu- me! We moved on. She was happy and engaged, and
lous sentences that couldn’t possibly convey meaning it got me out of a position of having to (futilely) tell her
to zip it every five minutes.
74
save my game
On a rules note, you may want to check out This is a constant DM dilemma, especially for a DM For instance, I don’t know how the wizard in your
the update on the aid another rules (listed as who likes to have NPCs with shades of gray. There are second example was being manipulated, but having
“Cooperation” in the Player’s Handbook). There are exceptions, I know, but over the years I’ve found that the PCs find and rescue his kidnapped family (or
now new, harder DCs (10 + half character’s level) and PCs are simple creatures, even when their players familiar?) would have been a great way of getting the
a penalty for failure (-1 to the skill check instead of are not. Even a player who loves relativist fiction and point across. Making a connection in a direct and vis-
+1), which makes those rules less certain and more rich character dramas will often reach for weapon or ceral way instead of a more philosophical way makes
dynamic. implement at the slightest hint of betrayal. character care more, because they had something to
I’ve found that there are a few reasons for this. do with its resolution. PCs are very results-oriented
First and foremost, D&D PCs are almost always creatures—that’s one of the many reasons they’re
My Players Hate My NPCs!
spoiling for a fight. Fighting is fun, most characters always spoiling for a fight.
I seem to have an unfortunate knack for getting my players
are built with fighting in mind, and—let’s face—it the
to hate my NPCs. Often what I think are subtle hints that a About the Author
reasons for fighting in D&D are nearly as shallow as
character is not trustworthy make my players ready throw Stephen Radney-MacFarland caught the D&D bug at an
they are abundant. Imagine if the real world worked impressionable age. Once the content manager for the RPGA,
down right away.
that way; you would see more wanton violence than and a developer for the 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons®
I had one scene go off the rails when a hated NPC was rules, he is now a freelance game designer doing work for
a zombie apocalypse. Another reason is that the
chasing a spy from the PCs’ organization, and the PCs Wizards of the Coast and Paizo Publishing, and he is part of
characters are pretty self absorbed. They will forget
jumped in on the side of the spy! Note that this NPC had a fledgling group of game commentators and game designers
subtleties concerning the personality and background called NeoGrognard. During the daylight hours, he teaches
been a vocal opponent of the PCs within the rebellion,
of your NPCs, because they are typically focused on game production classes at the International Academy of
accusing them of showboating and taking risks—nothing Design and Technology of Seattle.
the subtleties of their own characters (typically sub-
deserving of a death sentence (or so I thought). Fortunately,
tleties on how to optimize their combat efficiency).
they didn’t kill her, but took great satisfaction in beating her
If you want them to understand the motives of
into unconsciousness.
your NPCs, try to be less subtle. That doesn’t mean
In another instance, the PCs picked up very early that
that your NPCs can’t have complex motivations. It
the mad wizard of the rebellion was not to be trusted.
does mean that you need to be more direct when
When it was finally revealed that the wizard was being
letting your players in on the subtleties, and remind
cruelly manipulated by the villains to get him to betray the
them frequently.
PCs, they were far from sympathetic.
Often I have to remind the players of the reasons
that direct opposition to these NPCs is impractical, and
they only grudgingly put down the giant mallet of NPC
splattage. How can I channel this potentially useful player
enthusiasm such that the PCs don’t devolve into bullies who
beat up anybody that rubs them the wrong way?
—Goken100, from the Save My Game Group
75

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ISSUE 182 | September 2010

A D ungeons & D rag ons ® Roleplaying Ga me Supplement

62 Eye on Dark Sun: 72 Save My Ga me

“The Dungeon of the Ghost Tower” is an adventure

TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC All rights reserved.

Adventure “Seemingly” because Anarus met his doom on

not always been the case.

Dark Secrets revealed Treasure Ending the

Expanding Stopping to Rest Dungeon Overview

F 1 poisonscale brawler (level 3 brute)

Encounter 1: Tactics 7 Grasping Zombies (Z)

Encounter 2: Scything Blades

Blades of Death Detect Perception DC 21 Initiative special

Encounter Level 1 (350 XP) Traits

Encounter 5: Ensnaring Circle

Claiming the Key Detect Perception DC 0

Encounter 6: Hall Perception Check

Go ahead and call for initiative from the players while

Tactics Features of the Area

Encounter 7: When a character touches a statuette or speaks its Dretch

Features of the Area

8 Decrepit Skeletons (D) Level 1 Minion Skirmisher

Raidon saw Japheth standing over the severed tentacle that

TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC All rights reserved.

Goals of the Dreamheart Concordance

Curses are a traditional element of fantasy stories, leg-

Unearthed Arcana A cursed character cannot be cured by successful

Curses (Foiled Again)

Nobles of Newthrone. Lords of Q’barra. I don’t

Blood and Dragonshards:

—Khalar Velderan d’Tharashk,

Backdrop Qbarra, Part 1 addressing the Lords of Newthrone

illustration by Wayne England

TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC All rights reserved.

“Vanguard Tower” is a short adventure for five 4th-level characters.

Ground Floor: Tactics

Middle Floor: Tactics

Top Floor: If the heroes make their presence

Negotiation As you approach, the beholder drifts away from

Read the following when the heroes enter the

TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC All rights reserved.

Wrapping Up: Our Taloklaxus, Adamantine

Medium natural magical beast XP —

Setup When the characters see the kobolds,

Features of the Area 4 Kobold Dragonshields (D)

When the characters enter the cavern, read:

Varza has been forcing Taloklaxus to fight and kill

Tactics point to finish off a seriously wounded character with Varza,

Illumination: Darkness. Standard Actions

TM & © 2010 Wizards of the Coast LLC All rights reserved.

Episode 31: What

F Assist your brainstorming: I coined the term About the Author

What Else to Say?

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